About
History: From New York City to Buffalo
Harlem
I was raised in New York City, and I became interested in art after watching my aunt follow along with Bob Ross’ painting program.
I continued drawing on my own, and my passion for art began to grow exponentially. I knew that I wanted to pursue art as not just a hobby, but as a career. With help from the Our Children’s Foundation, I developed a portfolio to present to my audition for F.H. LaGuardia High School.
At LaGuardia, I developed important foundational skills that I still carry today. After four years of instruction at LaGuardia, I continued my fine arts education at Binghamton University. I refined my skills in painting, drawing, and mixed media, and graduated with a bachelor’s in studio art.
Binghamton
After graduating from college, I decided to stay in Binghamton where I explored different opportunities in the arts field. I worked at two art galleries in the downtown area where I developed an eye for curating. While the work was fulfilling, I wanted to create art, and decided to transfer my skills to graphic design by going back to school.
I took a nontraditional route by obtaining an associate's degree in web development at SUNY Broome. This led me to my current path where I have the privilege of doing what I love every day: working as a graphic designer.
In Binghamton, I worked for a life insurance company as a commercial artist, and I opened up my business, Oz Visual Arts, LLC, in 2018 to supplement my creativity. That was also the year when a co-worker connected me to Amy J. Stoddard Marketing, and I have been working freelance for them ever since.
Buffalo
After five years working in Binghamton, my wife and I relocated to Buffalo, New York where I now work for a Michigan-based company that provides coaching for entrepreneurs.
Skills
FINE ART
Painting: Oil and acrylic
Drawing: Pen and ink
Photography: Still Life
DIGITAL
Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, After Effects
Coding Languages: HTML, CSS
Web: WordPress, Figma