Your art is really vibrant and whimsical. I see that you also make greeting cards, can you tell me about that and your murals?

Sure. I started a greeting card company called Griffmobile Cards. I really enjoy creating an image that tells a story or sends a message, so I thought cards would be a good place to do it. I did that for a few years and sold my cards in local stores in Sacramento, Woodland and Davis. But, after a while it became too much work for me to create, market and sell my stuff. Plus, I’m a sucky salesperson. Now I send my artwork to other companies and they publish it. (Ed. Note: Portal Publications is one of those companies.)

In the meantime, I had painted a full-room storybook mural in my niece’s room. It was a big job and took a long time. In fact, my mom was my assistant on that one, (laughing) nice twist, huh? She’s actually very creative and a good painter. I got my “skillz” (Ed. Note: she made sure I added the “z”) from her. Word-of-mouth was how I’ve gotten most of my jobs so far.

Are there other ways your planning on getting your mural work noticed?
(Laughing) Yeah, this article for one.

Where did the name Griffmobile come from?
Growing up, my sisters and I drove around a 1975 baby blue Suburban. I could fit tons of friends in it. It was like driving a boat or bus. My left thigh is bigger from that clutch! Our friends nicked-named it the Griffmobile. One friend even made boarding passes for it! I guess the name always stuck with me. The memories of it reminded me of my art; whimsical, fun and adventurous.

So, how do you come up with your ideas?
Well, usually the person has an idea of what they want, like, " I was thinking a sky with bird in it" or "moon and stars" or the logo of their favorite team, stuff like that. Or sometimes, they have a blank wall in their kitchen and I give them a theme like country farm animals or French pastries and coffee. I also bring pictures of other murals I've done, my sketchbook and we brainstorm together. Usually, people have a glimmer of an idea and I help them expand on it.

Your characters are very unique. Do you ever do Disney, Hello Kitty, Dora the Explorer, or something like that?
I like to make all my murals indiviualized, so I prefer to create new characters so people will have an original painting on their walls.

But what if they really, really want Strawberry Shortcake or He-Man character?
Is that a hint? Are you a closet Skeletor fan? (Laughing) well, if they really, really wanted it and they didn't like any of my other ideas, and since they're paying for it, I'd do it.

Moving on. Do you do businesses, too?
I haven't done any businesses yet, but I think it would be great. There are a lot of blank walls in this town. I think murals can really draw people into a store and help create the atmosphere of serenity, history, adventure, hunger...whatever you think flows with your business.