Entrepreneurial History
1994 – Present: Art BusinessMarketing: In the early 90’s, I developed a strong interest and dedication to market my own art. I recognized the value of computer graphic skills in 1994, learned Adobe Photoshop 3.0, researched avenues to market traditional illustrations and computer illustrations (1995), and ventured out to national trade shows during the next few years. In late 1996, I attended my first trade show in Tampa, Florida.
Early Art Portfolio Licensed at Trade Shows
In 1996, I created a series of Florida wildlife illustrations that sold on t-shirts through a local t-shirt company in Fort Myers, Florida. The wildlife designs sold via trade shows to clients around the coast of Florida, the coast of Georgia, the coast of North and South Carolina, Tenessee, and the Caribbean. Pictured above are three color pencil illustrations from the wildlife collection.
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog Series
In 1996 - 1997, a friend shared how well his red-eyed tree frog illustration had sold and I was inspired to play with some silly ideas. For the next few months, I created multiple red-eyed tree frog illustrations which sold very well through trade shows. A local t-shirt company applied the illustrations to women, men, and children's apparel and sold them around the coast of Florida, the coast of Georgia, the coast of North and South Carolina, and the Caribbean.
Continue: 1996 U.S. Olympics