Artist Patrick Loehr helps CCA expand new Express ED offerings

Eager to break out of a video production career he was tiring of, Patrick Loehr began creating his own artwork and embraced the emergence of a unique personal style: mixed media, combining photography with drawing. A Colorado native and resident, Loehr took a chance and submitted his work to national and international competitions—and, in 2006, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art named Loehr one of the top 40 artists of the year.

Now heading up CCA’s Art and New Media Design program, Loehr wants to introduce students to the career possibilities in the field—in part because the pursuit of his own dream, combined with higher education, had such a successful outcome. Under Loehr’s leadership, CCA now offers two exciting new career directions: web design, and comic/graphic novel storytelling.

Loehr brings to CCA striking success with his own artwork and writing. “People began seeing my original work, and I started getting inquiries about doing custom images for local publications,” he says. “I started wondering, can I do this for a career?”

Often told that his work “ought to be in children’s books,” Loehr built a portfolio of illustrations geared toward that genre. He researched agents through Writer’s Market, but found success down another avenue. “I learned of an agent in New York who was not taking new clients but would review my work,” he says. “I was told not to get my hopes up, but that at least this person will offer honest feedback. Well, she saw my work, changed her mind, and introduced me to an editor at HarperCollins.”

Loehr’s new agent encouraged him to develop his work with an emphasis on one character for the publisher’s consideration. “I said, what the heck, I’ll go one better and come up with a story and write it myself. I shared my story idea with my wife, who is an elementary school teacher, and she said it was better than anything she was reading to her students.” The happy ending? “Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog” (2007), and “Mucumber McGee and the Lunch Lady’s Liver” (2008), both published by HarperCollins.

Loehr’s artwork can be seen at http://www.patrickloehr.com and through the Reed Photo-Art Gallery in Denver.

To learn more about the CCA certificate in web design or associate of applied science degree in graphic storytelling, visit http://www.ccaurora.edu/art/. The A.A.S. in graphic storytelling is a 60-credit-hour degree, and the fall term begins Aug. 24. Classes in the web design program are part of CCA’s new Express ED program and start Sept. 28. Express ED classes can be completed in 10 weeks or extended over several terms. Visit http://ccaurora.edu/students/recessionproof/ to learn about the new Express ED programs at CCA.

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