ABOUT THE OWNER & CEO













                 
                     "Being multi-ethnic is one of the contributors to my
                      many interests, especially art influences and styles. 
                      I am African American, Native American Cherokee
                      and Irish. I am from Mint Hill, North Carolina, USA,
                      a small, friendly suburban area right next to the
                      countryside. Growing up, I was introduced to many
                      different cultures. Half of my immediate family
                      is Jewish, and I grew up studying various American
                      and Asian art styles. When I was younger, I enjoyed
                      drawing a lot of fantasy creatures, animals (especially
                      lizards) and insects I found outside, and cartoons
                      from my favorite movies and shows, like Spirit,
                     Indian in the Cupboard, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Megamind,
                     The Incredibles, Kung Fu Panda, Pokémon, Spirited
                     Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke,
                     The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Ponyo, The Iron
                     Giant, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack,
                     Courage the Cowardly Dog, 6teen, and Coraline."
                                                                                                                                 
                    "When I was younger, I knew that I wanted to be an 
                     artist, specifically for cartoons, when I grew up, and
                     make a career from it. As I got older, I started selling
                     pet caricatures, people caricatures, and clay sculptures
                     of animals, and many other things."

                    "I did not find out I was from a mixed background until 
                     I was in high school. I liked reading about folktales from
                     countries around the world, from Africa, to Russia, and
                     many other places, and I still enjoy doing this. I always
                     felt different, and many people (Black, White, Asian, etc.)
                     thought that I was not from the USA. They said, " You have
                     Asian eyes."  I have been mistaken for being Hispanic. I also
                     get comments like, "What are you?" Well, I'm a person of
                     course...And because a lot of my family live in the Northern                               states, I have been told I have a "Northerner's accent." I still                               receive these comments from strangers and other statements                       from people, but I do not let them distract me from my work,                           and sometimes I find the comments amusing."
                       
                    "Being one of the only artists and business owners in my
                     family, I have faced a lot of opposition. However, I have
                     worked hard at practicing my skills for over a decade
                     so that I can share my skills and provide my services
                     to others. Some of my best role models and supporters
                     from my family are my grandfather Berry James, the
                     founder of Island Furs in Chicago, my aunt Nancy, a
                     painter of Jewish Marriage Contracts for museums
                     and museum collections, my cousin Jared Levy, a
                     guitarist from Arriviste, and my aunt Bobby, who
                     encouraged me to celebrate my coming-of-age
                     when I was a young teen."