Where do the ideas for your paintings come from?         I've only done a few pieces over the last ten years that weren't commissioned for a particular product. In those cases I just decide what I feel like painting and then paint it. For the paintings that are done for publishing companies, I generally receive a description from the art director which can be as lengthy as the entire text of a book or in the case of one cover - a three sentence description. I initially send some very rough idea sketches to the art director to see if any of them are appealing. Once they decide what direction they would like to proceed in, the sketches become tighter, models are costumed and photographed, creatures are sculpted, props are either bought or created, all of this hopefully ending in a final, tight, approved drawing. There are often revisions requested throughout the process as I don't always hit it right on the head the first time.

Who are the people in your paintings?          It's obvious that I use models for the characters in my illustrations. The people tend to be family, friends, co-workers, or just people that I have seen that fit the description I've been given. You get some interesting responses when you approach someone on the street and ask them if they would mind coming over to your house and dressing up like a pirate so that you can shoot some pictures of them. When you tell them that you will pay them, sometimes that alleviates the"creepy factor." Other times it makes it worse.

Pictured to the left top: My brother-in-law Matt, recently back from Iraq, reaches for my sister Sarah's hand while posing for the "Secrets of the Ruined Temple" cover.

Left: My friend Eddie strikes a pose for the "Caine's Chosen" cover.

Why do you make sculptures of the creatures in your paintings?         It helps in getting the pose right, the drawing, and the lighting. I've been able to tell a huge difference in the realism that I have been able to achieve from when I used to try to imagine creatures solely from my imagination versus making a mockup and working from it.  it's still no guarantee that the monster will look good in the end, but it is another tool in that effort. Sculpting the creature often is the highlight of the painting for me. Whereas I am not a fast painter and working on paintings for weeks and months at a time can feel like what I imagine performing brain surgery around the clock would feel like; I am a very fast sculptor. It helps that clay is an extremely forgiving medium and that the mockups only have to be finished, to any degree, from one angle.

Left: A quick mockup for the "Heresies of the Way" cover.

Lower left: The flaming ape's face from the "Book of Three Circle's" cover.

Who are your influences?         I love to check out other artist's work . It can be inspirational and sometimes a little intimidating. George Humes, my high school art teacher, inspired me to work in different genres. I love the Hildebrandt brothers work and was saddened to hear of the passing of Tim Hildebrandt. I love Fred Fields fantasy art as well as the western art that he is now producing. Tim Bradstreet, The late, very great, Keith Parkinson, John Waterhouse, Mark Fredrickson, ....I could keep naming people but I think that it's sufficient to say that there are a lot of amazing artists out there.

Why so much evil stuff?          You tend to reap what you sow in this business. I think that the dark color schemes and subject matter of my early paintings were somewhat of a reflection of my state of mind at that point in my life. Much of the work that I have done (and very happily so) has been for White Wolf's World of Darkness game lines. There is obviously an understanding that those paintings will have a "dark element" to them. If they ever come out with a World of Lightness and Happiness, I hope that they will give me a chance to work on that too. As the years have gone by, I've become less enamored with scary things. The color schemes and subject matter have begun to lighten and brighten. In fact, I have even painted some flowers in recent paintings.

How is it possible for someone to be a fan of both the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines?          Born in Ann Arbor and raised a Wolverine, I have lived in Columbus for around 15 years now, and I enjoy watching the Bucks play. Life is full of contradictions and if you drink enough beer, you enjoy the game no matter who wins.