Kite, now in his early fifties, is very much a product of the Age of Aquarius (i.e., the 1960s and ''70s). He doesn't drive a high-status car; he owns a beat-up van that'' close to 100,000 miles old. His imagery doesn't feature pretty flowers or picturesque sea vistas; rather, his edgy art features politically incorrect themes and makes political statements. But, this does not make Kite a "hippie"; it makes him a nonconformist living in the new millennium.

Just why does this "struggling artist"-who has sold no less than one-half million greeting cards-continue to struggle? "It is an honor to have my work appreciated, even if an order is for only $100. I am in the communication business, and I want to publish something that inspires and makes people think. It is not enough to create a card that just says 'Have a Nice Day!" I need to surreptitiously infuse [an unexpected] dialogue between image and word into the viewer's consciousness," says Kite.

Growing up in Skokie, IL, Kite had no plans for a career in visual arts. At the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), he first studied to be a film writer "but didn't feel comfortable starting at a blank piece of paper," he states. "During my years at college, I wrote poetry and did readings in cafes in Berkeley. Around that time I began to do collages featuring images from discarded magazines and used art books. Fellow poets encouraged me to put my pictures on paper alongside the words. Soon, the pictures were predominant, and the poetry became words used as titles. In actuality, the titles are part of the picture because they present a dialogue with the image."

Kite first published his art in poster form in the late 1970's. "The posters were not a hit," he admits. "In fact, I think I still own most of what was published." But, lack of success did not make him give up. Instead he opened his own gallery in Marin County, CA, in the early 80's. "My art still wasn't meeting with success, and I went into debt. After that, I sold used cars for five years, but continued to do art in the form of theater, voiceovers and music."

Kite ultimately made a decision to concentrate on visual art. "I came to New York City and, during a 10-day period, showed my art to 100 galleries." The trip, however, produced no success. Kite was told his art was not in any gallery's niche.

It was actually Kite's printer who gave him the idea of doing greeting cards in addition to posters. "I decided to market the line myself," he explains, "and 11 years ago started to do art fairs around the country, selling directly to consumers. I also did the San Francisco and Portland gift shows, showing the 36 images that I had. Since I wanted to be listed on the first page of the show's directory, I picked a business name that began with an 'A.' Aberrant Art was created." Happily, the shows proved very successful for Kite. "I finally found a viable market for my work. Card reps loved the line and wanted it, and as they say, the rest is history." Today, the Aberrant Art line includes almost 200 images.

Kite's collages are made with an Exacto knife, not with Photoshop software, He resizes works on a laser printer, then hand-embellishes with photo-oils, pencil and ink. "I need to cut and paste and even bleed my own work. I am not a 'techie'; I need to feel paper," he admits. He assembles the collages by pouring over art books and matching an image here to an image there. During this process, Kite contemplates the social commentary he will make as he manipulates the art. Nowadays, Kite's collages are not only on greeting cards, but also on jigsaw puzzles by Sunnywood, calendars by Pomegranate Publications, mousepads by Anthony's Art, menu covers, T-shirts, CD covers and even beer bottles. "I am not a commercial artist, but companies can license my art for their specific product," he says.

In the last decade, Kite has noticed that the American social-expressions industry has become less conservative. "A line like 'The Far Side' is well accepted, and it helps other alternative companies sell cards. The selection has gotten wilder and has become accepted n a variety of retail outlets. People who attracted to alternative-humor cards are sophisticated and want to make a statement about themselves; my customers are often adolescents and are anti-tradition or they are baby boomers who are anti-establishment."

Many celebrities are enthusiastic about Kite's work; he mentions that a wide range of entertainers from Thoedore Bikel to Sean Penn, are customers. Aberrant Art sells to college bookstores, coffee shops and museum shops. The company has also sold its cards in countries such as England, Holland, and Germany, though not with as much success as in the U.S. "The cards were not understood overseas like they were here," says Kite, adding, "Europeans did not understand the humor. The are not comfortable with cutting up images from masterpieces."

Just how does Kite get away with "redoing" famous art and adding his own touch? "I am not copying the image to make money. These images are within the collective consciousness and are fair game. My work parodies art to make a point, not to make money. It plays with people's perception of well-known art and makes them think. I manipulate the concept, and on one level, the original art ceases to exist. Anyhow, my biggest protection against a copyright lawsuit is that I have no assets. I wouldn't be able to pay up," Kite says with a smile.