ABOUT WARDOGS™
United States Air Force
I served in the United States Air Force, active duty from 1975 to 1979. My specialty was Law Enforcement | Canine (81152A). I was assigned to Aviano Air Force Base in Italy and Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in South Carolina. The bond between a handler and his dog is something that never leaves you — it becomes part of who you are.
Artist. Educator. Creator.
Upon discharge I pursued a Bachelor's Degree in Commercial Art and Advertising. After college, my wife and I moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the mid-1980s — at the time, one of the top advertising hubs in the Southeast.
I was — and still am — a very successful artist and illustrator, winning many accolades for my talent both in college and professionally. I taught art and photography at a local Community College and at the SAWTOOTH School For Visual Arts in Winston-Salem.
THE GOLDEN ERA
& THE COLLAPSE
Winston-Salem was a booming advertising market fueled by some of the most recognizable names in American business — R.J. Reynolds, Holly Farms, Food Lion, McLean Trucking, T.W. Garner (Texas Pete), Wachovia, Lowes, Piedmont Airlines, and NASCAR, to name a few. Business was booming — until it wasn't.
The mid to late 1980s brought tremendous upheaval. R.J. Reynolds was taken over by KKR and moved its advertising to Atlanta. Holly Farms was acquired by Perdue. McLean Trucking went bankrupt. Piedmont Airlines was absorbed by USAir. Wachovia followed RJR to Atlanta. NASCAR grew into a national enterprise and relocated its headquarters. One by one, the pillars of that economy fell — through relocation, acquisition, or bankruptcy — taking with them the bulk of the region's advertising industry.
Reinvention
My wife's career as a nurse provided stability during a turbulent time. Armed with that foundation, I made the decision to return to college and pursue a degree in Respiratory Care Technology — a new profession that would carry me forward for the next two decades.
On the Road
Around 2010 I transitioned from bedside care into training physicians on new electronic medical software. This led to traveling assignments across the United States — new places, new sights and sounds, and incredible opportunities I never anticipated.
Never Stopped Creating
Through every chapter, I never lost my passion for design, illustration, and graphic arts. With the arrival of home computers in the early 1990s, I found myself asking the same question I always ask — "How do they do that?" — and once again taught myself the answers. Digital graphics, HTML, basic programming, web design. The curiosity that drove me in the Air Force never went away.
AI As a Tool — Not a Replacement
For the past several years I have been studying and using artificial intelligence — again asking, "How do they do that?" AI has proven useful in the creation of websites, research, graphics, and as an always-present tutor. I do use AI in some of my graphic work, but I view it no differently than Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator — it is simply another tool.
Think of it as the watercolor brush or the oil painting palette of today — a tool that helps the artist in their creation and creativity. I remain very hands-on and use numerous tools to piece together these graphics and works of art. The creation is mine. The vision is mine. AI simply helps execute it.
Still Here. Still Creating.
My wife and I are still married and still live in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina. All of that — the service, the art, the reinvention, the road — leads me to this point.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & COPYRIGHT
Unless otherwise noted, all images and graphics used on this site are original designs, creations, and artwork and remain the exclusive property of WARDOGS™, LAWDOGS™, WARDOGS Brand LLC, or Discovr.Ai. All images are EXIF tagged and copyrights are filed with the Copyright.gov database. No image may be used, copied, repurposed, altered, or reconfigured in any way. Violations will be subject to DMCA takedown action and all applicable legal remedies.
When an image is created with 100% AI it will be clearly labeled as such. Transparency about what is my creation and what is AI is important to me.
When an image is not of my creation but I hold legal right and permission to use it, that image will be labeled with proper attribution.
All images are copyrighted by WARDOGS™, LAWDOGS™, WARDOGS Brand LLC, or Discovr.Ai. EXIF metadata is embedded in every original file.
FORGED IN SERVICE.
WORN WITH HONOR.
Every design tells a story. Every purchase supports the mission. 10% of all profits go directly to organizations supporting retired Military Working Dogs and their handlers.
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