Cartoons are, without a doubt, my favorite means of communicating ideas.

The way I see it, cartoons are downright good for us.
They make us laugh, whereupon endorphins are released, thereby increasing our general feeling of well being.
(No relation to Patch Adams)

They make us reminisce about the innocence and wonders of childhood.
They give us perspective and new angles on life.

But most importantly, they bring about change. Subtle change, but change nonetheless.
They serve as a surprisingly effective way of exposing hypocrisy,
age-old dogma, corruption, and the private lives of our leaders.

As William Zinsser points out in On Writing Well, "Lyndon Johnson in the years of his Vietnamization
was brought down partly by Jules Feiffer and Art Buchwald", and Senator Joseph McCarthy and
Vice-President Spiro Agnew were brought down partly by Walt Kelly in the comic strip Pogo."

(Similarly, Tina Fey partly brought down Sarah Palin in her brilliant SNL sketches.)

Not surprisingly, I jump at the opportunity to do anything involving parody or satire.

Influential comic writers that I credit include the twisted brilliance of Gary Larson's The Far Side and Berke Breathed's Bloom County;
the incomparable wit and social impact of political cartoonists Herblock and Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury;
the clever & biting insults that are exchanged in Jim Davis' Garfield and of course Charles Schulz's Peanuts;
and perhaps my favorite, the storytelling genius of Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes.
(What I especially admire is how Watson decided to retire the strip after 10 years.
Too many others have worn out their welcome--their once edgy material has become stale & recycled.)

That philosophy represents my approach towards illustration & design.
I strive for infinite improvement; I try to avoid getting caught up doing the same
tired stuff and seek to reinvent myself and grow every year.

Over the years I have honed my skills and I have developed an illustration & design style
that blends whimsy, classical & modern day edginess.
I aim to communicate ideas as clearly and effectively as possible,
whether caricaturing President Bush or doing an ad campaign for an alternative rag.