Cleveland Born. St. Louis Based. And Creating Everywhere.
lin·e·age | noun | lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.
Grandmother.
Creativity & artistry runs in my blood. It has manifested in our lineage through 3 generations, on my father’s side, originating in my grandmother. She was truly a creative, talented individual: in whimsical ways, in practical ways, in her overall being; and through countless mediums. She was entirely self-taught, and once she put her mind to something, there was nothing she couldn’t do. Her creations were truly a sight to behold. And her craftsmanship was unmatched. A master of every medium that she tried her hand: drawing, painting, macrame, crocheting, needlepoint… She was a talented seamstress- no sewing machine required. All self-taught. One of the most vivid childhood memories I have at Grandma’s house was playing inside of a large, elaborate playhouse, complete with an old-time water pump sink and potbelly stove, made entirely out of cardboard.
Father.
This talent was then passed on to my father, again artistically, and in addition, musically. My grandmother believed my father’s creative talents even surpassed her own, with his abilities also spanning the gamut of artistic mediums... drawing, airbrush, sculpture, you name it. Just as my grandmother, he is completely self-taught, with his abilities coming naturally. I believe the phrase is, “jack of all trades, master of none…” well my father is, just as his mother was, quite literally the master of all…
Captain Nemo's Helmet - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea MEDIUM | SCULPTING
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - Primus MEDIUM | SCULPTING
Sven - Frozen MEDIUM | SCULPTING
Hemi Skull MEDIUM | AIRBRUSH
Disney's Peter Pan - Captain Hook's Ship MEDIUM | PENCIL
Me.
It was apparent right away that I had inherited the creative zest. I have fond memories of sitting at my tiny child-sized drawing table, after carefully selecting one of my parents’ myriad of collectible Disney figurines, and drawing them, one by one, pretending that I had “customer requests” to do so. But as time went by, and I got older, the drive to draw, fell off. Try as I might, my light source was never right, my shading always off. I knew I would never be as good as my father. No matter what medium I tried; What came naturally to him surely did not for myself. I grew increasingly discouraged and quit. But as the years went by, I slowly but surely honed in on my knack. In myself, the creative spark and artistry had manifested itself via my abilities in graphic design and the written word. The ability to lay things out on a page, just so, both graphically & typographically. An ability that I had assumed for the longest time, everyone had. My passion had become quite obvious. It warms my heart & makes me proud to look back not only at my lineage but on my personal journey. From a small child imagining I had “customer requests” for Disney character drawings, to an adult with her own company, and actual customer requests for marketing & creative design.
Same spark. Slightly different manifestations. And a passion deeply rooted in our family’s lineage.