Where this all began

Ok,I make zines and minis as well as a number of other creative objects. I have been showing off and on in galleries and doing a lot of odd projects. WHile I was a graduate student at the University of Buffalo, I discovered the world of mini comics and zines. I soon discovered a real love for these little hand-made collections of stuff. Here was a place I could put all of my creative juices, including my love of drawing, stories, collage, printmaking and networking with great people. Right now, I am doing less mini comics and more with my zine "Squat Thrust."

I am a middle school art teacher and this seemed appropriate seeing as how it was Jr. High that introduced me to this "fart involuntarily in front of the girls" fitness tool. The zine takes drawings and writings from my journals and collages them together into the book. There is a narrative if you want but not as direct as a comic would have. This need to document my life really took form early on but it was only in the last few years that I figured out why. My Mom and Step-Dad split up in 91 and my Dad eventually left to move to Florida. He took the family photos with him. It really devestated me later as now I have only a handful of images from my youth. Now married, I have nothing to share with my wife and future children. Please don't think I'm whining. I ain't. Just sharin'.

It was this event that solidified the need for me to document my life and thoughts in some tangible way. Looking at Squat Thrust is like looking in someones photo album. You may not recognize the people but it can be really fun to peek into their lives. The words and images are not staged in my book. For better or worse, they are what they are. I will be posting some future images and some old ones, as well as pictures and other creative stuff. If you want to order a copy of squat thrust, I will be posting a picture of my email address so I dont get spidered... eeew.