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Artist Donald Ross, who goes by the nickname "Scribe," created the illustration on today's A+E cover.
It was drawn on a computer. But it demonstrates the same whimsical-yet-sophisticated anthropomorphism that Ross has brought to his spray-painted murals on the exteriors of Kansas City buildings, especially in Westport.
"I can't think of a mural in Westport that's not mine," Ross said.
That's no brag, just fact. Here's another: Ross, 31, would not have gotten to where he is today â?? a full-time mural-painter at Children's Mercy Hospital soon to have his first illustrated children's book published â?? if not for experiencing some social isolation as a child.
Ross' father's career as a minister dictated frequent family moves, including stints in Jerusalem and London. It wasn't easy making new friends.
"So you kind of self-entertain," Ross said. "And for me it just ended up being drawing."
In 1993 Ross moved to Kansas City to attend the Kansas City Art Institute. He completed only one year of study but became one of the town's busiest urban graffiti artists. His early work, done illegally, led to an arrest and costly fines. Still, the media attention it brought got Ross his first legal graffiti gig at Big Dude's Music City, 3817 Broadway.
"A lot of kids get out of (art) school and wait for someone to discover them," he said. "But you have to prove yourself. It's a constant battle to get yourself out there, not only as an artist but as a business person."
Ross takes special pride in the murals he paints in waiting and exam rooms at Children's Mercy, where his depiction of fanciful animal characters is particularly effective.
"The focus on doing animals takes race and gender issues out of it," Ross says. "Then it's something that all kids can identify with."
Since completing his children's book, There's an Octopus Under My Bed, Ross plans to spend more time with his wife and young son. And after that?
"Something fun will come up and it will lead to something else," he said. "If it doesn't, I'll walk out into the street and say, â??Hey, you want a mural?' I've got to paint."
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