I've always been a visual person. As a child, I made greeting cards for my family, and always took care to draw a logo of some type on the back.

In high school I made hand lettered book plates and name labels for my classmates.

In college, I minored in art history while completing my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in calligraphy, typography, illustration and graphic design. I went on to freelance as a graphic artist, and put up a shingle on the Internet in its early days; Hence my four letter domain, ariw.com. I published my work online, and contributed  artwork to books about Adobe Illustrator.

When I got my first 1.3 megapixel digital camera in 2000, I suddenly thought I could take a decent photo. Many cameras (and related gear) later, and I'm still trying. I find photography  uniquely challenging. On the one hand its a pursuit anyone can find the time for - click! Yet making a compelling image that will attract more than a glance might take a lifetime.

"I've yet to do my best work. I fear I never will." – Edward Johnston