In addition to being a partner in a retail store as a day job, in the evenings I also did free-lance artwork for an ad agency called Pace & Partners. One of their accounts in the early eighties was the American Motors Corporation and I drew many of the illustrations in AMC's Jeep owner's manuals. Gained lots of experience drawing in pen and ink. In the mid-eighties Pace landed the General Motors contract and I started illustrating ALL of GM's owner's manuals. Gained even more experience. However, there was so much work for GM that I couldn't continue to do that and own a store. We sold the store in 1988 so I could devote all my time to drawing (and home renovation). Laura, in the meantime, had gone to work at a flower shop called The Rose Shop, which she now owns.
In the mid-ninties I discovered the world of rubber stamping and started illustrating hundreds of aircraft that would be turned into rubber stamps by a company called ImaginAir Designs. Since I love anything to do with aviation, it was a perfect fit. I also drew for another stamp company called Toomuchfun Rubberstamps. I was able to gain even more experience drawing for these two companies, especially in the stippling technique needed to make detailed images for stamping.
It was at this time that I decided to start my own line of rubber stamps and created Gray Wolf Graphics. This web-site is the result. I still draw for other companies, and projects other than rubber stamps, but I've got to say, drawing my own images (and making cards from them) has been a lot of fun and is quite gratifying. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers along with some great tips on stamping and card making. Lots of requests for stamp images, too.
You may have noticed that a lot of my images are of wildlife. That's because Laura and I love the out-of-doors and my drawings reflect that. Still do lots of kayaking and hiking, and since I need photos for reference, it's a great excuse to do both.
