ABOUT

AS EARLY AS I CAN REMEMBER, I WAS FOND OF DRAWING, GREATLY INFLUENCED BY MY PARENTS WHO HAD BOTH GREAT HANDWRITING AND A GREAT HANDLE AT SKETCHING OUT WHATEVER THEY SO VISUALIZED. I CLEARLY REMEMBER THE SKETCHES OF YODA AND THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES MY MOM DREW, THE BUILDING FLOOR PLANS THAT MY DAD WORKED ON IN MY YOUTH. TO DRAW, I USED WHATEVER RESOURCES WERE AVAILABLE AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE, MY SECOND HOME, THE PLACE WHERE I LEARNED THE VALUE OF A HUMBLE LIFE, HAVING LITTLE AND MAKING THE BEST OF IT. WITH CRAYONS I DREW ANIMALS ON TOUGH PAPER TOWELS, GIVING THE DRAWINGS TO MY KINDERGARTEN CLASSMATES AS GIFTS DURING CIRCLE TIME. WITH AN OLDER COUSIN I GREW UP WITH, WITH WHOM I DEVELOPED A LOVING COUSIN RIVALRY, I DREW CHARACTERS AND SCENES FROM THE SUPER MARIO UNIVERSE, HEROES AND VILLAINS OF THE MARVEL COMIC UNIVERSE LIKE SPIDER-MAN AND VENOM, AND HEROES, ROBOTS AND CREATURES OF MY OWN IMAGINATION. COMICS, CARTOONS OF OLD AND BOOKS STIMULATED MY MIND, STRETCHING MY IMAGINATION. AT AN EARLY AGE, I LEARNED TO NAVIGATE THE BLACK AND WHITE KEYS OF THE PIANO BY EAR, INSPIRED BY ONE OF MY AUNTIES WHO WAS AN ORGANIST AT OUR CHURCH. I BEGAN PLAYING MELODIES OF CHURCH HYMNS AND SINCE, IT WAS MY DREAM TO BECOME AN ORGANIST. IF I WENT SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE WAS A PIANO OR KEYBOARD, WHETHER A STORE OR SOMEONE'S HOUSE, I WAS SURE TO SIT DOWN AND PLAY MUSIC. COUPLE ALL THE ABOVE WITH A LOVE FOR POETRY, RHYMES AND METER DEVELOPED IN MY ELEMENTARY YEARS--A SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. SEUSS AND SHEL SILVERSTEIN--AND YOU HAVE THE BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR WHAT I WOULD COME TO BE...