by Marie Doyon & Bill Riski Where are you from and what do you make? I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, where I lived for 31 years. After college, I worked for an Akron advertising agency for ten years, becoming VP and Creative Director. It was here that I met my future bride, Mariann. She was in a job interview with an agency client. I just happened to be meeting with that client that day, and the rest is history. We moved to Detroit, Michigan, where I worked briefly for an advertising agency until deciding to be a freelance Creative Director. I lived in the Detroit area for 31 years. I hope to live at least a total of 31 years here on Dataw to complete a geographic trilogy in South Carolina. I call myself a landscape photographer, and that includes anything outdoors. How long have you been seriously pursuing art? I have always enjoyed drawing, painting, and any artsy projects. I took several art classes in grade and high school, where my art teacher suggested I attend Syracuse University School of Art. Although my major was in advertising design, I took a mix of many art and graphic courses, from fabric design (taken by mistake) to typography to art history. In the latter, I learned that any good art has movement (e.g., The Birth of Venus by Botticelli). Image: Tahoe, NV It wasn’t until my senior year that I took a photography class. My career as a full-service Creative Director was all about communications, from concept to completion. My work could be described as combining ideas, copy, graphics, photos, etc., to produce ads, brochures, catalogs, logos, etc. In fact, I designed the first VAC logo, shown here. What inspires you to create? I was always encouraged by my artistic mother. She was… Read More