My Art Story
I began painting at the age of seven. At nine years old I was enrolled at Barbel's Art Center in Huntington Beach, California where I spent over 5 years training under portrait artist Jung Chen. At twelve years old my first painting was auctioned for charity for $250.
I began painting for my friends in high school from cheer boxes to murals for school dances. I graduated from Irvine High School with an art scholarship to the University of California, Irvine.
Contrary to the obvious, I did not study art instead opting for a B.A in Political Science. However, the most useful course I took at UCI was a class called “Photoshop.” Photoshop had only been on the market for a few years at that time. Revolutionary and unbeknownst to me, a necessary precursor to the work I do now for Shadow Knights Studio. While attending UCI, I was an art teacher at Plaza Vista Elementary School in Irvine, CA.
After Graduating UCI, the father of one of my past cheer box clients was looking for artists. I submitted my art proposal to California’s Department of Public Health's Champions for Change program and won the bid for the contract. I went from painter to muralist and spent the next 3 years painting murals on campuses throughout Newport Mesa Unified School District.
Several families approached me about teaching their children to paint. I opened up a little art studio in Huntington Beach. I taught art classes while Illustrating a science and art book used in the curriculum at Cal Tech's Child Development Center. Meanwhile, the cheer box business, which consistently maintained itself every year for the past two decades, took on a life of its own, with girls booking up to four months in advance to secure a paint slot for their cheer season. I went from painting boxes in only Irvine to San Diego, L.A. county, Riverside county and in the past five years, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Enter Shadow Knights Studio. They were looking for an artist to help develop their first game application. I was an artist looking to take my art to the next level. Kismet.
I began painting for my friends in high school from cheer boxes to murals for school dances. I graduated from Irvine High School with an art scholarship to the University of California, Irvine.
Contrary to the obvious, I did not study art instead opting for a B.A in Political Science. However, the most useful course I took at UCI was a class called “Photoshop.” Photoshop had only been on the market for a few years at that time. Revolutionary and unbeknownst to me, a necessary precursor to the work I do now for Shadow Knights Studio. While attending UCI, I was an art teacher at Plaza Vista Elementary School in Irvine, CA.
After Graduating UCI, the father of one of my past cheer box clients was looking for artists. I submitted my art proposal to California’s Department of Public Health's Champions for Change program and won the bid for the contract. I went from painter to muralist and spent the next 3 years painting murals on campuses throughout Newport Mesa Unified School District.
Several families approached me about teaching their children to paint. I opened up a little art studio in Huntington Beach. I taught art classes while Illustrating a science and art book used in the curriculum at Cal Tech's Child Development Center. Meanwhile, the cheer box business, which consistently maintained itself every year for the past two decades, took on a life of its own, with girls booking up to four months in advance to secure a paint slot for their cheer season. I went from painting boxes in only Irvine to San Diego, L.A. county, Riverside county and in the past five years, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Enter Shadow Knights Studio. They were looking for an artist to help develop their first game application. I was an artist looking to take my art to the next level. Kismet.
