I’ve studied the various techniques and traditions of  artwork creation at Northwestern University, The School

of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at Northern Illinois University, where I graduated with a bachelor's degree

in Studio Art. I later earned a master's degree in medical illustration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

I have been a “commercial illustrator” for over thirty years. I also create what I consider “fine art”.

 

Though I tacitly defer to this modern cultural distinction between artist and illustrator, I can’t truly accept it,

either in theory or practice.

Whether painting on a cave wall with ocher and charcoal or designing a corporate logo with tablet and

monitor, both artist and illustrator struggle with the same paradoxical task. Each must create tangible, external

objects that effectively allow them to share their otherwise intangible, isolated internal thoughts and feelings with others of their kind. 

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Standing under the Sistine Ceiling, who could classify Michelangelo as either an “artist” or an “illustrator”?