∗ About Me ∗

I am an illustrator, author, and painter. I born and raised in western of New York and still live there.

Many challenges have been set before me: I was born deaf and I am painfully shy. My parents divorced when I was 4 and my father died of an alcohol-induced heart attack when I was 17. I have learned to accept and adapt to these various obstacles. Through these hurdles, I have become a stronger, more sensitive individual with great love, hope, and joy. I have been blessed. Family and friends have believed in me and encouraged my artistic pursuit. In 2006, I won Reader's Choice Award from Gallaudet University for "Rainbow Artist": Very positive feedback for the first contest I entered.

In 2006, a DVD called MirrorMask (2005) and it inspired me and changed the way I create my art because of its weird imagination. It inspired me to draw out-of-this world drawings with a pencil (include all shades). Six months later, my art teacher at RSD (Rochester School for the Deaf) saw my work and wanted me to show them to the English teacher. Oh, my gosh, very good imaginative art! In the spring of 2007 of my senior year at RSD, Randy Dunham, a well-known local deaf artist and works at RSD, took me under his wing and encouraged me to put my ideas on canvas.

In 2008, Luvon Sheppard, a renowned Rochester artist, taught me new skills and techniques with watercolors and encouraging me to "push the envelope" to find my creative self. I was with him for few months. Through Randy and Luvon, I have grown greatly in the last few years. My art work has been spreading through Western New York to the homes of private collectors in Syracuse and the greater Rochester area. One of my first paintings, "Deaf Kiss," was purchased by the Rochester School for the Deaf.

In 2012, I attended college, I painted less while I focused on my studies. In 2015, I received a degree in Graphic Arts from NTID (part of RIT) then in 2019, I earned a Bachelors of Arts from SUNY Brockport. After my graduation I started to paint again. I also added illustrations for children's books to my skill set. I noticed that my style of paintings was changing but my out-of-this-world imagination had not changed that much. But my skills had improved greatly.

Where do I get ideas for my paintings?

Most of the time, I refer to doodles in my sketchbook for ideas. I add a little here and a little there until it turns into a picture. Often times, the sketches have no meaning, they are just imaginative doodles from my head. I collect clipart from puzzle books - all things, animals, places, or people: are used to as a starting point for a drawing or story.

How do I write my stories?

I usually wonder in my head to make up scenes, there and there. I start to write (or type) from the beginning and let it flow from one idea to the next idea until the end with sketches. Sometimes, some of scenes from my dreams do give me wonderful ideas (they are sometimes writing with illustrations in my dream journals). On the internet sometimes, do inspired me with something weird or cool idea. Very rare, my mother suggests a lesson of life for children, learn something important, like "Joe at the Park" (2023) about pollution. But I usually prefer to do freely storytelling, without pressing myself with details of characters' personalities and their past. I only want to enjoy the simple stories to tell with my illustrations.

Why do I like to add illustrations to my books?

I love to add illustrations to my stories so you can see my visions for my stories. I know your imagination and mine are very different when you read only by words. So this is why I added illustrations to my stories. And illustrations usually describe details for my stories better than I try to describe them in words.

What tools do I use to create my digital illustrations?

I use Adobe Photoshop on my X-Pen Artist 22R Pro (use pen on monitor). I usually like to use a brush to create lines and color my illustrations.