Name some artists that have influenced you: One creator who continues to bring energy and joy to the page time and time again is Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the manga series One Piece. Oda’s mastery of storytelling and illustration techniques to tell the adventure of the Mugiwara Pirates has influenced my own comics and storytelling style. Other creators I have taken influence from are Spanish artists Lobón Leal, Alba Bg, and David Orellana for their use of color composition and whimsical character designs in their graphic novels, Samhain, and Grog the Frog: the Book of Tarus. 

I use watercolor to color many of my comic illustrations. The painter who inspired me to do this is Italian artist Alessandro Barbucci, the illustrator for the series Les soeurs Grémillet. 

Share an artistic accomplishment you are proud of: It took six years, but completing the Cincinnati Cabinet of Curiosities comics anthology project is something I am very proud of. Throughout three books, the team and I retold eighteen tales of ghosts, legends, and cryptid sightings from around the Cincinnati region. In total, I worked with fifteen artists and writers to complete the anthology as its series editor. 

Why do you teach art? I enjoy teaching subjects I am passionate about, and being inspired by others who create them in return. As a creative person where art is an outlet, I can’t help but make things. Through my creative experiences, I find joy in guiding people to find their creative spark.