High school cartoon
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Dairy farm
Painting in the '80s
At the '92 Olympics for AP
Teaching at MSU
Teaching in Indonesia
ABOUT ME
Throughout my professional career, I worked as an illustrator and information designer, mostly in the field of journalism. Since retiring in 2020, I have spent my time on personal art projects, like drawing and painting.
A major inspiration that led to me becoming an artist was learning about my great-great-grandfather, Hans Gude, an amazing Norwegian romanticist painter. As a kid, I was astonished at his artistic abilities and they motivated me to pick up pencil and paint and take up art. (Take a look at his work!)
My artistic journey began with drawing cartoons for my high school newspaper. Forgoing college, I took on various jobs instead, including teaching English in Colombia, serving as a factory-line boss in L.A., working as a carpenter in the Sierra Nevadas, and managing a 300-acre dairy farm in Vermont. During it all, I found time to grow my drawing and painting skills by studying old and new masters and practicing a broad range of artistic techniques and styles. Eventually, my art skills reached a point where I had the confidence to take a shot at becoming a professional artist.
At the age of 24, I left the farm and moved
to New York City, hoping to draw comics. Instead, I found a dream job producing
cartoons, illustrations, and infographics in journalism. This career spanned 27 years, during which I worked in New York City and Washington, D.C., serving as the Director of Infographics for news organizations such as United Press International, The New York Daily News, The National Sports Daily, The Associated Press, and Newsweek magazine.
In 2006, I transitioned to academia as a full-time faculty member at the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. There, I taught, among other things, "Visualizing Information with Infographics" and "Creativity and Complex Problem-Solving." My 15 years at the university were happy ones. I loved my colleagues and was fortunate to be recognized for my work, receiving both college and university-wide teaching awards. (Thank you, students!)
Additionally, I engaged in side-consulting, conducting national and international workshops on infographics and creative problem-solving for various organizations. I have delivered several TEDx Talks and spoken at numerous professional conferences, including the Society for News Design and South by Southwest (SXSW).
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​When I retired from MSU in 2020, my wife, Dorsey, and I traveled the country via small highways, towing a camper. We have since settled in Connecticut, where I now dedicate most of my time to family and drawing, painting, and printmaking.
Seeing America through it's backroads: Lone Pine, CA, at the base of Mt. Whitney (the distant one at right with the pointy top)