Scott’s second grade interpretation of Herman Munster (a la the Frankenstein Monster).

One dark and stormy night in 1958, Scott was brought to life in a castle laboratory . . . Well, the 1958 part is true anyway.  Actually, he grew up in a typical suburban neighborhood in Rochester, New York.

Scott can recall exactly when he decided he wanted to be an artist.  He was in the first grade when he saw a picture that a classmate of his had drawn.  It was a sailor wearing a yellow hat and a yellow raincoat in a yellow sailboat (Yellow must have been the ‘color of the day’).  He liked his picture SO much, that he sat right down and copied what he had drawn.

On the other hand (crawling along the floor to grab you), Scott has been fascinated with monsters and Things that go BUMP in the Night ever since he was old enough to be frightened by them.  Without a doubt, his all time favorite screen creation is the Frankenstein Monster.  So it’s no surprise then that his favorite actor is Mr. Boris Karloff.  Unfortunately, he never had the great honor of meeting the gentleman himself.  Although, when Scott was in the eighth grade, he did have the opportunity to meet Vincent Price.  He and his friend Steve had asked for his autograph.  Previously, Scott had drawn little skulls, bats, and spiderwebs around the borders of the paper.  While Mr. Price signed his name for them, Scott did his Peter Lorre impression for him to which he responded “Oh, NO! We’ve got ANOTHER one!”

Scott loves the theatre and acted in a number of his high school’s plays and musicals as well as Summer Stock productions.  Comics, cartoons, and animation have always been a BIG influence on how he draws and paints.  He attended Syracuse University with the intent to animate for Disney Studios one day.

But that all changed when he studied in the U.K. his junior year of college.

Just by chance, his landlady turned out to be a writer and illustrator of children’s picture books.  Scott has always loved children and drawing (and writing) for them seemed like a perfect fit.  However, once he graduated from Syracuse, it took him eighteen years and close to 217 rejections from editors, art directors, and a few agents before his first picture book – SCARY FRIGHT, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? – was FINALLY published.

During those years, he illustrated for a number of children’s magazines and one newspaper for children (Along with the occasional cover, he drew 153 different ‘Hidden Pictures’ for them).  Scott is also a caricaturist and draws animal portraits.  His chosen media for painting is watercolor.  A few of his favorite artists include Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak, Vincent Van Gogh, and Grant Wood.  He is also a HUGE classic film buff!

A sample illustration for an, as yet, unpublished children’s story. This is proof positive that SOME things never change… 🙂

“Bernice” – an illustration from Scott’s recent studio series exploring the works of Edgar Allan Poe

Since SCARY FRIGHT, he has illustrated the picture book CITY WITCH, COUNTRY SWITCH and both written and illustrated another book entitled MADDIE’S MONSTER DAD.

He and his enchanting and bewitching wife, Janice, have been married for almost thirty years.  They have two Monstrously good creatures . . . their son, Brent , and daughter, Tess . . . and one VERY eccentric cat named Sabrina.  It has been a true de-fright . . . AND delight, for him to be working with his cousin and dear friend, Dave, on the Corpse Coffee comic strip.  Scott feels as if he’s almost come full circle to what he originally thought he wanted to do!