Where do I start this story? Queens Cove Creative began in 2018 with my wife and me. She’s the brains behind this operation and, well, I am the artist. Having worked in the graphic design and arts industry since 1997, I wanted something I could own and call my own. It’s not been an easy ride, but honestly, it’s been a joy to work with my best friend and wife of 31 years. I started work with Topps in 2018, crafting sketch cards as a side gig to keep the funds flowing. Almost 10 years later, yup, I’m still crafting those sketch cards. Since our beginning, we have crafted book covers for authors, logos for businesses, and art and illustrations for various clients. I’ve worked with publisher Printed In Blood on artbooks, including licenses such as Ghostbusters, Stranger Things, John Carpenter’s Halloween, the television series Hannibal, Fox’s Firefly, and most recently Brandon Lee’s The Crow. In 2022, I was selected as 1 of 21 artists from around the world to display a juried artwork at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. The piece was a sellout print. This allowed me teh ability to take my graphics into the laser etching industry. Since then, I have created one-of-a-kind, in-house-designed, and hand-painted wood creations.

I owe how I got this far in life to my Maker and Creator. He sent me my wife early in my college years to give me purpose when I had none. I honestly would have never graduated college without her by my side. I graduated with a B.F.A in Graphic Design in 1997. I have worked in the advertising and design industry as first a production artist, then a graphic designer, and finally a creative director. My employment has varied from small agencies to the largest agency in West Virginia and then on to state-run and funded agencies.

In 1999, I started my Masters Degree at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. My original purpose was to obtain an MA in education so I could teach art. My direction changed one night as I did some soul-searching. I remember going to speak with my painting maestro, Stan Sporny. We sat in the dusty hallways of Old Main, and he and I decided my future was as an illustrator and visual storyteller. I gained so much wisdom from that ol painter, and I miss his guidance to this day.

I graduated with an MA in Painting and Illustration in the spring of 2004. 2004 was a year destined to refine me and define me. The event occurred a few weeks after my graduation. I was struck head-on while travelling to display my art at a local gallery. The MVA was as severe as it could get. I had numerous injuries ranging from a bruised brain to a grade 5 lacerated liver, not to mention compound fractures, multiple broken bones, and other damage. God, though, in all His infinite wisdom, placed the pieces to this day in exactly the correct places. Ask me about it someday, and I’ll share more of this tale. I ended up in a coma for 20ish days, 39 days in the hospital total. I spent 6 months in a wheelchair and another year or so learning to walk again. I had to reteach my hands the art I so loved from scratch. To say this was a humbling experience would be an understatement. From 2004 to 2013, my family and I endured 28 surgeries to put me back together, including 2 total knee replacements. God saw me through every painful step and every painful surgery. It is by His grace, and His Grace alone, that I am here, though my doctors were an amazingly skilled and dedicated team.

In 2016, my wife and I moved to DeLeon Springs, Florida. The winters up north played havoc on my body, and so we began this new amazing journey. I have loved Florida since I first visited when I was eight years old. It was always a dream, and we are blessed daily by our new state. This journey is far from over, and I am excited for what the future holds. I hope you see us at our convention appearances and say hello. We look forward to making you smile.