A LITTLE HISTORY
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Attended University of Oregon for several years with majors in Art and Business. Moved to Sun Valley, Idaho in the early 70’s for a ski vacation and ended up staying 13 years. During that time, I continued my artistic and business endeavors by designing and painting murals, signs, display props and creating company identity programs for local businesses.
Through my 30+ year experience as a successful freelance designer for a highly diverse clientele, I have been able to broaden my skills and the kinds of services I can offer my clients. By combining a strong creative and design sense with natural technical and problem solving skills, I’m able to successfully follow through on projects from their inception to their completion, meeting and oftentimes, surpassing my clients’ expectations.
MARKETING & MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE
After recognizing a void in the market for affordable display products I moved to San Diego, California in the early 80’s and started PropArt Inc., manufacturer of mannequins and props for the Visual Merchandising Industry. These 2-dimensional airbrushed pieces were a fresh and affordable look for the active 80’s retail market. The company grew from scratch to over a million dollars in sales in 4 years. With national and international wholesale and retail distribution. Our customers included J.C. Penney, Pier 1 Imports, Sears, Standard Shoes, McDonalds and hundreds of small retail shops all over the world. The products were created from raw goods, cutting, painting, packaging and shipping directly to the stores. We marketed through trade magazines and shows presenting at approximately 45 trade shows all over the country in the 7 years I ran the company. I sold the company in 1991 and returned to Idaho.
EMBRACING DIGITAL
I did not want to be left in the dust of the digital age!
This was the perfect media for my natural artistic and technical skills, or should I say obsessions. Completely self taught, not afraid to make mistakes, read manuals or research what ever I needed to, to get the job done. Starting with a Mac SE, using MacDraw and MacWrite I learned the basics of computing. With the development of Photoshop 2.5 and Aldus Freehand I returned to the graphic design business I had when I left Idaho. I used the BBS to send digital art files to a service bureau in Boise. Then when Netscape arrived I dove into website design working freelance for a local ISP.
In the late 90’s I started Mountain Dreamworks. A design studio in Ketchum, Idaho specializing in graphic and website design. Multimedia presentations including special event slide shows. We have a large format printing service and have recently expanded into textiles and garment sampling.
FINE ART & GICLEE PRINTING
Began printing large format in 1994 by sending large format files to Nash Editions Iris printer. Epson introduced it’s first large format printer in 2000. We purchased the Epson 9000 and the business grew to printing not only my vintage Sun Valley prints but we were able to print for other artists and professionals. Our printing service continued to grow with the acceptance of Giclee printing with local galleries. In 2002 we purchase the Epson 10000. A printer with faster print speed and the archival inks we were looking for. Our clients expanded to include consumers wanting to have family shots enlarged on fine art papers.
TEXTILE PRINTING & DESIGN
In 2003 after much research and testing I discovered fabric specially treated for digital printing. This opened the door to create wall hangings, outdoor banners, and of coarse garments. What began with silk scarves and cotton pillows expanded into a full range of wearable art pieces from skirts, dresses, vests and mens shirts. Many items sold wholesale to local stores and direct to the consumer through Art Festivals, our studio and online store. My graphic design skills adapted easily to textile print design.
It’s amazing to me that I can literally create a design in the morning, print it out-sew it up-and wear it to dinner that night. With the addition of our sewing services we now have a growing sample business for those going into the garment business. We can assist them with adapting or creating a textile design, print these designs directly on the fabric and sew it to their specifications in our studio. Our process is great for sampling and short run orders. This system prints beautifully on cotton, rayon and silk. We post treat the fabrics giving the finished garment improved wear over multiple washings.
This technology is amazing in comparison to traditional textile printing. For a designer/artist there are no restrictions in producing very complex artwork. And the fact that we can respond so quickly to trends in the fickle clothing business is very exciting.
I’ve been on the cutting edge of technologies before, but this advancement is with out a doubt the most exciting, fun and creative adventure I have ever had.
CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON WEBSITE DESIGN
Though I began designing for the web in early 2000 it wasn’t until 2009 that I decided to sell out of the retail side of my business and creative expression and focus exclusively on website design. Staying current with the evolution of the internet and designing for it is a full time job. I discovered WordPress about the time the economy crashed and found it a great solution for clients looking for more affordable and interactive website solutions. My clients are, Real Estate offices, Retail Stores, Artists, Galleries, and Non-Profits to name a few. I love designing for the web, it’s technically challenging and can be very creative too. I have several personal websites, snagthelook.com, a fashion inspiration blog, sunvalleyvintageposters.com, a retail site for many of the posters I’ve created and recreated over the years and mtdreamworks.com, my business site with portfolios of my work.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
I am happily married with one son now 24 years old. We live in beautiful Sun Valley Idaho where we ski, bike, hike, golf and enjoy friendships we’ve had now for over 40 years.