I was born Matthew Trent Cordell on September 11, 1975 in a medium-sized Southern town called Greenville, South Carolina. Some people have heard of it.

-Son of "Steve" Barney Stephen Cordell, master auto mechanic and slapstick prankster

-Son of Janet Ernestine Jones, quirky mother of two and seasoned taskmaster

-Brother of Eric Stephen Cordell, red-headed wildchild and best friend for most of my life

I fell in family line behind a long string of auto mechanics and car enthusiasts. So, naturally, I would take up things like skateboarding and Art.

Next to my sub-par eyesight (I got my first specs in grade 2), the most consistent theme in my life has been my desire for drawing.

My earliest memory: A picture I drew of George Washington riding horseback somehow made it into the hands of my older brother's first grade teacher. Reportedly, Ms. Sanders was very impressed! The first-time pride and satisfaction I felt that day is without a doubt what catapulted me into the world of Art.

Growing up in the hands of nurturing art teachers like Ms. Sullivan, Ms. Esrum, Jim Campbell, Paul Martyka, Chad Dresbach, and Seymour Simmons, my interest in drawing developed and expanded to other artistic avenues i.e., painting, printmaking, sculpture, and graphic design and typography.

Once school was all out of my system, I took my Art Passion to the streets of South Carolina/North Carolina urban areas. With only mild success, I declared the South a kind of "cultural wasteland" (sadly, but looking back, only for what I needed at the time) and deduced my efforts had "bombed."

With three friends living in Chicago, I decidedly took a chance and moved there--far from family, friends, and the South. It was a very bold and somewhat unlikely decision, but it was one that has yielded many successes:

1. I found my wife--the brilliant writer and amazingly talented school librarian, Julie Halpern (see the excellent www.juliehalpern.com).

2. I lived the life of a humble globe-trotting graphic designer.

3. I eeked my way into a Chicago art gallery to show my drawings and paintings as a gallery artist.

4. Through the charm and expertise of wife Julie, I landed a few book jobs as illustrator in the most beautiful world of children's literature.

All of the above have been extreme learning curves. Numbers 1 and 4 are easily my favorites.

--------------------

Julie and I have since moved out of the city and into the Chicagoland suburbs. This is, sort of, full circle for me. But after several years of big changes, a little bit of piece and quiet is real nice again. And, I now have a whole house to share with Julie and our massive Siamese cat Tobin. And, I have a whole bedroom for a studio! What a life!

I look forward to whatever the future brings. I mean, so long as it's good. And so long as it's lots and lots of children's lit. work. And lots more love and happiness. And drawing.