Where did you grow up?

I was born in 1967 and raised in Colchester, Vermont, a 'suburb' of Burlington, which is the largest city in Vermont with a population of about 50,000. I then lived in Syracuse for 3 years while attending school and onto New York City after graduation, where I now have a home in Brooklyn.
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How did you first get into art?
What is your educational background?

Although there are milestones in my arts career, I can't really say exactly when I 'began' drawing and painting in a serious manner. My childhood is peppered with memories of making models, toys, drawing military hardware, spaceships and finding highly creative projects in almost anything in the afternoons. Reading comics, painting lead figurines for Dungeons & Dragons , creating maps and art for role-playing, producing art projects for school, producing my own 8mm films.. the list is endless! Art was a passion, yet always a hobby as I was as gifted in Mathematics as I was in art.

My formal training came late. I began my college career at UVM majoring in electrical engineering, but it wasn't until my second year at the University of Vermont that I withdrew from this career path, frustrated with the lack of creativity in classes, subjects and assignments. I still remember the day I dropped out of three engineering classes in mid-semester, shocking my friends, my family and even myself. Do not try this without proper adult supervision! I enrolled in an art course the next semester, and began my very first formal lessons on drawing. That same year I picked up my first set of oil paints, created some horrible initial paintings, and realized I need guidance, lots of guidance.

Very quickly it became obvious to take painting seriously I needed to pursue an education at a more challenging art college with competitive peers. I enrolled at Syracuse University in the fall of 1989 and majored in fine art painting. The doors which were opened to me at Syracuse proved unfathomable; from color theory to composition, anatomy, paint techniques, experimental drawing, post-modern, modern and abstract theorizing. Anyone who talks about god given talent hasn't seen the hours labored to understand how to properly put an oil glaze on a painting. Practice, practice, practice. Create, create, create. One of the greatest lessons I learned at school: no art is perfect, keep moving onto your next project/vision with additional challenges. All told, my 'college career' lasted six years, but it paid off: I'm doing what I love to do. Yet with that all said, my training did not stop after I graduated in 1992.
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How did you first break into commercial illustration?

In the Spring of 1992, at a portfolio review offered by Syracuse University in New York City for graduating seniors, I received a few potential leads for representation in the illustration field. I drove down for interviews with two agents immediately. The first agency, Mendola Brothers, thought I had potential, but found my work lacking in finish and suggested I return when I had a better polish to my paintings - read between the lines -'come back when you are already a professional'. A Catch-22 situation. At the second interview with Sal Barracca & Associates, I received the same response regarding my quality of painting, BUT Sal extended an invitation of representation if I could create samples of professional quality worthy of book cover work. Sal's specialty was representation in the New York book publishing market. I saw my chance to become a book cover illustrator, concentrating in the science fiction and fantasy field. Immediately upon returning to Vermont, I began to create those samples at the rate of one new painting a month. At the completion of the work, I would drive to New York for a brow beating from Sal as he pointed out deficiencies in my samples, and head back home to work on the next one.

In September, I finally made the move to New York City to be closer to the largest arts scene in the world. It was a big leap. It would still be several months before I landed any commissions, and NYC is not a cheap place to live. I resisted the temptation to get a 'regular' job and supported myself through part time work at the Society of Illustrators. All of my free time was spent creating monthly illustration samples for Sal, visiting museums, examining other illustrators and artists work, attended life drawing classes and art openings. I shared a small apartment with two other aspiring artists, and painted every day for 8-12 hours. By December I was in the middle of my sixth sample, they were progressively inproving, but money was running short and I didn't know how long this could last. I resorted to borrowing money from my girl friends parents. Yet the hard work, gamble and move finally paid off. Sal called me one Monday morning with commissions to produce covers for three classic science fiction books The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, and Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I could not have asked for better commissions for initiation into the work of professional illustration. Since then I have not had a free moment without work as a free-lance illustrator and am expanding into other market places as I push my art further. I owe a debt of gratitude to Sal Barracca and the art director Joe Curcio for sticking their necks out for a young, inexperienced artist looking for a break. All I can say to the other agency is 'aren't you sorry now you didn't take a chance on me then?!' It is a wonderful lesson about the potential in mentoring and supporting young creative talent.
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How would you describe your style?

My work is derived from everyday experiences that are then melding with the needs of commercial illustration. With abstraction for the foundation I then turn to classical approaches to realism, from Caravaggio to Rembrandt to J.W. Waterhouse, to construct my illusions of other worlds/places. I am a classical-abstract-realist working with science fiction and fantasy subject matter.
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What are some of your inspirations as an artist?

By walking down the street, looking around at the world I live in, reading books about human nature and absorbing great human stories (fiction and nonfiction literature) I attempt to place a bit of the real world around me into my paintings.
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Are you inspired by other artists work?

My love of fine oil painting reaches back to my education as a painter at Syracuse University. For me, the most important issue about painting is not the commercial printed image which reaches millions, but what a person takes away when experiencing the original work. I moved to New York to be near its wonderful museums, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frick Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Pierpont Morgan Library, and Museum of Modern Art. I still spend many afternoons visiting my favorite artists -- Hans Memling, Jan Van Eyck, Velazquez, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Mondrian, Rembrandt, Rubens and Titian. I strive to comprehend their complexity and bring that into my work. There is nothing so impressive to me as standing in front of a huge Velazquez that is 16' wide and 10' tall with fully life-sized figures! ( a pilgrimage to the Prado Museum in Spain was made to see that one.) Or I will spend long stretches of time gazing into the minute details of a tiny Van Eyck, 8" by 12", bumping my nose on the glass straining to see details almost invisible to the eye (Philadelphia Museum of Art has that one). It is the combination of classical aesthetics with my love of Modern abstraction that I attempt to meld into one art form in my paintings. You can see these influences in some of my illustrations. For example the portrait Cartographer is inspired after Lorenzo LottoÕs portraits; the dense compression of figures in Faramir at Osgiliath are the melding of Caravaggio-like renderings with the surface patterning of a Pollack; and the vertical columns in Ashling recall Barnet Neuman while building upon the atmospheric illusions of Van Eyckian perspectives.
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Does music ever inspire you?

Yes quite often, the Minimalists and Modernists like Steve Riech and Phillip Glass, although I love to listen to John Schaffer on WNYC, alternative rock, and a good turn of nostalgic Rush.
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What do you like best and least about your profession?

What I like best about my profession is the broad range of interpretations brought to each and every piece. There are NO bounds. No one knows what a dragon looks like, how magic works, what another world would look like. Everything is on the table for redesign and recreation, from human interactions, clothing, to architecture. And the fact as a commercial illustrator, MILLIONS of people will see your work in stores, on shelves or in games. ItÕs great! I take vacations any time I want for as long as I want (which is unfortunately rarely). The part I like least about what I do is that I am completely immersed in my career, there are no 'days' off, I am constantly thinking about art.
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Where do you usually do your work?

I own a four story brownstone home in Brooklyn, the top floor is the studio. I work at home and many days never leave the house.
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What materials do you need to create your artwork?

Many different oil paints, brushes, turpentine, linseed oil, a palette, paper, masonite or panel board, rags, easels, photographs, cameras, mat boards, frames, studio lights for photographing models, props for the models (cloths, costumes, etc.), books of reference for costumes, landscapes and architectural designs (books, books, and more books!), a computer, printer, various papers, pencils, templates, rulers, etc, the list goes on and on...
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Do you prefer models, photos, or illustrations? I see evidence of all three in your work.

I prefer to work from photos when creating an illustration, but will always produce gesture drawings from live figures. There are so many 'accidents' and discoveries that occur from real life, your mind cannot be trained to expect even 1% of them. I use these studies as spring boards for the final illustrations and paintings. As for models, I have never used any in creating my architecture, dragons or aliens, not from lack of desire, but rather from my inability to create a nice miniature.
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Do you have to travel for your work?

I do not have to travel, but I love to when invited to conventions, signing for Magic tournaments, lecturing to companies or colleges, or to visit museums in Europe or elsewhere in the world. I have had invitations to fly to Indonesia, Japan, and have attend events in Chile, Italy, England, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany and France (and of course all around the United States)
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Which painter would you go back in time to watch painting?

Diego Velazquez would be my choice. To witness both his working methods in oil technique and to speak to him regarding the psychological structure of narrative story telling.
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What piece of art are you most proud of?

A painting of The Hobbit: Expulsion which hangs in my living room. It represents everything I aspire to and am passionate about in my career as an illustrator and realist painter; interpreting J.R.R. TolkienÕs work; displaying the humanity of characters in epic conflict; and creating emotionally charged, large paintings. Inspirations accumulated on trips to museums around the world finally found expression in a work like this. This piece, coupled with 'The Lord of the Rings' has proved to be a major springboard for a large body of work now comprising my second stage of narrative picture making.
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What has been your greatest success in your artistic career?

There are a few great successes, but none so far as equaled the chance to illustrate the covers of two of my favorite and most inspirational books: The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit .
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How do you get your jobs?

Currently my reputation in the art field keeps the phone ringing without the need to advertise much. I enter a couple of juried competitions and exhibit at a few conventions each year to show the public and other artists what I have been up to over the past months. Word of mouth recommendation is the strongest form of advertising.
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What trends are you seeing in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre?

The genre is always in a state of flux, a condition that I love as new ideas and artists find their place while others disappear. Currently the proliferation of digital illustration and its speeding up of production times has put a bit of pressure on traditional, painted illustrators. I find the need to be faster with my turn around. But at the same time, my work as become more highly valued as original art is produced less. Digital hardware still does not substitute for a powerful idea and strong composition, these things are fueled by a creative mind whether working traditionally or not. Talented artists, who know how to paint, now have a growing market for original works to be sold at even higher prices than before. I can only thank my fellow digital illustrators for helping to make me more highly sought after!
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When did you first read Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS and what was your initial response?

Reading Tolkien's works for the first time were not only an introduction into the worlds of an incredible fantasy, they were the first novels read for pleasure in my own free time. As you can imagine they left an impression so deep on my psyche that they are forever a standard to which other novels are compared. I remember being handed The Hobbit from my brother Michael on a Saturday afternoon, and finishing it the following day. I was hooked, the three novels comprising The Lord of the Rings were purchased soon afterward, with paperback covers by Darrell Sweet. I still have those copies in the studio today. The most enjoyable aspect of reading those novels was the incredibly rich history of the cultures Tolkien provided for his readers. A never ending dance began as I read The Fellowship and referred back to the appendicies at the end of Return of the King . Who was Beren? How old Moria? When was the First Age? It took forever to read each chapter as I looked up names, places, and events in those notes: each offered a trip to another time and a story as complex as the tale I was engrossed within. I needed to read those books only once to be forever knowledgeable about their histories. With this compulsive behavior of referencing, you could imagine I was thrilled to discover The Lost Tales, Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion at my local library. I spent many afternoons there immersed in the world of Middle-Earth.
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What makes Tolkien such a challenge to illustrate?

Creating a painting from the worlds of Middle-Earth means you will be placed under the most intense scrutiny when it comes to details and accuracy. The admirers of Tolkien know no mercy when it comes to deviations and inaccuracies, myself included! I know those books inside and out, but still found myself making a few mistakes. I now run my sketches past my friends as a double check to catch any errors. Luckily Tolkien provided artists with a large loop hole for illustrating his novels: very little physical descriptions of either characters or places. His descriptions are generally emotional and for that reason resonate with the reader more than the offerings of other authors. This is what I love regarding the works, a strong emotional foundation upon which to build a very broad range of 'physical' interpretations.
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Given the commission to illustrate THE LORD OF THE RINGS what would you do?

I have always sought great challenges in my art. To this end when looking for inspiration to illustrate novels and stories, I have always attempted to render those moments which are ill described or fleeting in nature, yet capture the essence of the characters and narrative. Simple 'domestic' scenes are difficult to compose to appear compelling, yet a successful painting in this manner can carry much more power than a heroic battle scene. Consider your reader and viewer, they most likely have never experienced the intensity of conflict nor the range of extremes most heros travel through. It is upon a common ground of emotion with which I attempt to build my narratives. And it is with these simple scenes that J.R.R. Tolkien makes us feel the humanity of his characters; the depths of utter darkness in Moria; Merry and Pippin smoking pipe weed after the destruction of Isengard; Frodo and Sam cooking a brace of rabbits in the Shadow of Mordor.

As for the quantity of illustrations necessary to illustrate the three books, I return you back to my childhood. I was happy to have only the three cover images from which to inform my imagination of The Lord of the Rings . I think I would have been even pleased with none. The power of Tolkien is that he does not need an artist to interpret his works for them to come to life. Yet when the artist successfully steps beyond mimicry, something more is added than mere words can describe. The two art forms resonate and create an emotional response greater than the parts. This cannot always be achieved, as any artist, but when it occurs, it is magical. I cannot say what number would be correct for the illustrations, only that they should feel properly placed in the context of the books.
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How did you come to illustrate Tolkien?

My first commission for the Middle-Earth Collectable Card Game from Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) taught me a valuable lesson. I was an avid gamer back in high school and college and began collecting the ICE modules from Middle-Earth, both for using them in games and for the wonderful art on the covers and in the interiors. Being a huge Tolkien fan and an aspiring artist I sent ICE my portfolio during my senior year at Syracuse University. I never heard back from them. Bummer. It wasnÕt until 4 years later that I received a call from their art director. They were looking for new artists for their upcoming card game- MECCG:The Wizards- and was wondering if I could send them down a new portfolio. I had improved since college and I now had a couple dozen professional book covers to show them. They were blown away by my current work. On open offer was placed before me, how many cards would I like to take on One? Five? Thirty? I settled on fifteen and had a wonderful time working on a subject I loved dearly. Needless to say they kept coming back with more commissions. The lesson? Be generous to everyone and treat all clients with courtesy because you never know from where your next job may come from.
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Beyond LotR, what would you have liked to illustrate from JRRT's other works?

Back to my childhood love of J.R.R. Tolkien's writings, I would find immense pleasure in tackling illustrations from any of the works related to Middle-Earth, from The Lost Tales to The Silmarillion .
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What do you like about making art for Magic: The Gathering Collectable Card Game?

The greatest pleasure I get from Magic is know that millions of people will see and enjoy my art. I love that act of sharing what I enjoy to so many other players since I am a gamer myself.
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Which Magic set did you start on, and how did you go about getting the job?

I first heard of Wizards of the Coast in 1995 at a comic book convention. WOTC artist Bryon Wackwitz showed me some cards he had done and he was swamped with players requesting signatures. I was impressed with the creative potential of illustrating for the game and most importantly wanted to get a piece of that fan action!! Because I was still building up my book cover career, six months passed before I finally sent my portfolio to WOTC. Sue Ann Harkey, the art director, was gracious and complimentary and immediately commissioned four pieces for their upcoming Mirage expansion deck after viewing my portfolio of cover illustrations. I was delighted to have such an opportunity.

I decided to set a high standard for myself in the quality of art for these cards. I purchased a few extra books on various African cultures and proceeded to research the styles and designs of eastern Africa dress and jewelry to bring a broad sampling of culture to the images WOTC desired. I am proud of these first products of my labor and thrilled with the success they've achieved: Grinning Totem, Amber Prison, Village Elder and Moss Diamond.
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I've been told Sisay's Ring is your personal favorite piece for Magic. Why?

There are quite a few factors which went into Sisay's Ring which sets it apart for me. The inclusion of hands (which I see as descriptive about a person as their face), my love of maps, the classical feel to the piece, and the fact that the hands are from a friend of mine, a mechanic who lives down the block from me here in Brooklyn. I always try to personalize my images.
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What other jobs have you done besides be an artist?

After graduating from college in 1992 I spent a few months working as a staff member at the Society of Illustrators, helping to hang exhibitions, send out mailings, hang coats at openings, etc... Since then I have always worked as a freelance, self-employed artist. Before that, during college and on vacations, I worked a few years selling retail electronics in Vermont.
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What work have you done outside of Magic?

It would be easier to reverse the question and ask what work haven't I done. Hundreds of book covers, game covers, magazine covers, video game covers, concept design, illustrations for Playboy, National Geographic, Hasbro, advertising for StarWars, portraits, private commissions, gallery exhibits, etc...
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Where do you currently live, and do you have any family members you'd like mentioned?

I currently live in Brooklyn, New York with my wife and two daughters.
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I really like to draw. What is the best advice you can give me?

Practice. Practice. Practice. Visit galleries, exhibitions, other artists studios, and museums. Take art classes and try to draw things you like. Learn to struggle. Challenge yourself constantly and learn to draw people.
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What work have you done outside of Magic?

I currently live in Brooklyn, New York with my wife and two daughters.
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Can you recommend some good anatomy books?