Born in 1974, to Michael and Cynthia Marrone, the first two years of my life were spent in a small apartment in Bristol, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Philadelphia). During this turbulent time, I spent most of my hours eating, sleeping and crying. This is generally considered to be my least productive time as an Artist. Soon after, my mother, father, a bubble-eating dog named “Chum” and I moved to a small home in nearby Levittown, Pennsylvania. Legend has it, the very first time I was given a crayon, I drew a face, totally bypassing the typical “juvenile scribbling stage”. My parents were convinced that they were blessed with an artistic prodigy. My grandfather, however, was convinced I’d be a professional athlete.

At the age of 5, my family and I moved again, this time to neighboring Morrisville, Pennsylvania. During my childhood and adolescence, I continued to pursue my interest in Art. Influenced by comic books, monster movies, video games and 80’s pop culture, the subjects of my drawings were often deeply rooted in fantasy. It was then that I decided that I wanted to become a monster movie make-up Artist. This decision had very little impact on my adult life.

By the time I hit high school, it was clear to my teachers that I was destined for greater things. In fact, many teachers were SO enchanted with my sarcastic wit that they sent me to the office in an effort to share my company with the office staff, Principal and Guidance Counselors. Artistically, I was more prolific than ever. By the age of 15, I was actively selling original artwork at Philadelphia area comic book conventions and surrounding comic book stores. My bold, graphic style of drawing also landed me a number of professional commercial design jobs. At 17, I owned and operated my OWN sign painting company (although I was the only employee).

Upon graduating high school, I chose to further my education at Kutztown University, located between Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Because Art Education was the only Art-related profession that required certification, I decided to major in Art Ed. with the intention of keeping my possibilities open. During these years at college, I feel I grew tremendously as an Artist. The able K.U. staff introduced me to variety of new techniques and media and helped me further hone my technical skills. While in college, I also realized three very important things: I very much enjoyed working with children during my student teaching experiences, there was no way I was going to live in a rural town (like Kutztown) after graduation and Heather Hall is hot.

Those three realizations resulted in my returning to the Philadelphia area, accepting a position with the Lower Merion School District, marrying Heather and making two kids. Although my family and students keep me quite busy, I continue to draw, paint and design now more than ever. While my artistic vision evolves frequently, I feel my images share a common flavor due to the emphasis on contour line. Many of my drawings and paintings are currently on display in the Philadelphia and New York area.