FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW
LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN ARTIST?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't an artist.
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT DO YOU USE?
I only use acrylic paints. I mostly use Grumbacher, Liquitex, Dick Blick,
and Utrecht brand paint but I'm not very particular about which brand
I use. I also use DecoColor paint pens. Paint is Paint.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
Right now I'm obsessed with Cerulean Blue.
NAME SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS.
Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Jean-Michel Basquiat,
Chuck Close, Jenny Saville, Larry Rivers, Jim Dine, Lucian Freud, Jackson
Pollock, Willem Dekooning, Tony Scherman, Ann Piper, David Mack, Wade
Hampton, Jeff Soto, Curt Clonts, Charles Baughman, Dave Mckean, Richard
Diebenkorn, Patrick Duegaw, Odd Nerdrum, David Carson, Rembrandt, Marc
Bosworth, Kent Williams, Shawn Barber, Vaughan Oliver, Katie Sykes and
many many others.
WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU PLAY IN THE STUDIO?
The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, David
Bowie, Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Muse, Modest Mouse and The Pixies,
are some of my favorite bands to listen to while I paint.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T A PAINTER OR GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
I would be a filmmaker
FAVORITE MOVIE
Fight Club
FAVORITE DIRECTOR
I would say David Lynch or Michel Gondry.
FAVORITE
FOOD
Mattar Paneer
FAVORITE AUTHOR
Chuck Palahniuk
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE A PAINTING?
I typically spend between 8 - 12 hours on a painting. I begin by priming
the panel with one or two coats of acrylic gesso. Once the gesso dries,
I cover the surface with several layers of paint using brushes, rubber
brayers, palette knives, rags, and my hands. Then I use a paint pen or
a china marker to sketch out the image onto the panel. These sketches
are usually really crude and they are just a way for me to establish the
proportions and placement of the image. Then I begin to paint the image
and that process may take 6 - 8 hours depending on the size and complexity
of the piece. Once I feel like the painting is at a stopping point I begin
to use belt sanders and various other tools to remove large sections of
paint from the surface. I often lay the panel on the floor and drip and
splatter paint across the surface. Once the painting has dried I usually
cover the panel with 2 or more coats of varnish.
DO YOU DO ANY PRELIMINARY SKETCHES BEFORE YOU START A PAINTING?
No, I never do any preliminary sketches for my paintings. I don't maintain
a sketchbook of drawings. However, I do have a sketchbook filled with
words and titles that often influence the imagery that I create. Whenever
I read a book I try to keep my word journal handy so I can write down
interesting phrases or words that might make interesting titles or images
in the future. If I make a drawing that is where the idea will end. The
drawing is the finished piece. I don't like the idea of investing that
much forethought into a painting. The danger of doing preliminary sketches
is that you begin to edit and refine your ideas which makes them less
immediate. I prefer to allow the image to happen as spontaneously as possible.
It is more likely that I would be flipping through the pages of a fashion
magazine and a photograph will catch my eye and I will paint it. I have
a box of magazine clippings and photographs that I use for reference.
I'm always collecting images that might someday inspire a future painting.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE PAINTINGS WITH A COMPUTER?
At some point my experience as a graphic designer began to influence how
I approached the process of making a painting, and eventually I began
to experiment with making "paintings" with a computer. I wanted
to know if it was possible to create a painting with a computer that didn't
look computer generated. I wanted to create the illusion of a real painting.
I wanted drips and splatters and scratches. I wanted something that had
a haphazard quality. Which is extremely difficult because you have 100%
control over everything. The computer allows you to correct mistakes.
Every action can be undone or reexamined. If I decide to throw a bucket
of paint on a canvas I really can't predict how it will splatter or drip.
That is what makes painting exciting. Because painting is bigger than
the artist. The process is a collaboration between man and his materials.
Whereas a computer does nothing but take orders. So you have to find ways
to create the illusion of a drip. You have to fake spontaneity. That is
why most computer generated art is very cold and artificial. I wanted
to make digital art that looked organic and spontaneous and alive.
HOW DO YOU CREATE YOUR DIGITAL PAINTINGS?
I produce all of my digital paintings using a combination of Freehand
MX and Photoshop CS. I use Freehand to create geometric shapes and typographic
elements and I build the painting using photoshop. The way I paint with
a computer isn't much different than the way I would paint with a brush
and pigment. I usually begin by developing the "under-painting,"
which helps me define the color scheme and atmosphere of the piece. I
might pull elements from old works or I might start from scratch. The
under-painting is constructed using several layers of textures and scribbles
and flat areas of color. Once the under-painting is established I begin
to sketch out the desired image. Then I construct the image in the same
fashion as a real painting. I typically work from dark to light. Once
the image is completed I begin to obscure it using the same textures and
patterns and splatters that I used to construct the under-painting. On
many occasions I will incorporate collage elements into the painting.
These images range from anatomical diagrams to geometric patterns to architectural
blueprints to hand written letters. I enjoy the process of hunting for
images because the act of searching often reveals new ideas or possibilities
that I hadn't considered before.
HOW DO YOU PRINT YOUR DIGITAL PRINTS?
All of my computer generated paintings are printed on 102 lb. Somerset
Coated paper using an Epson printer. All of my prints are being printed
by Don Siedhoff at Rock Island Studios. I have always been concerned about
the ephemeral nature of digital prints and I recently started doing research
about Giclee printing and other printing methods that would allow me to
affordably produce archival prints of my work. That journey brought me
to Don Siedhoff and I started working with him to produce Giclee prints
of my computer generated paintings. I was the first person to bring him
a digital file. So I think it was a learning experience for both of us.
I wanted to produce the best possible product and Don has made that a
reality. I’m extremely happy with the end product.
DO YOU PREFER MAKING DIGITAL ART OR PAINTING?
I don't prefer one over the other. I enjoy painting because it is a very
physical process, and I am drawn to the tactile nature of painting. I
love getting my hands dirty and making a physical connection to my work.
I love the thrill of working with and against the physics of painting.
There is an element of spontaneity that really excites me
The digital process is much more immediate and it caters to my need for
instant gratification. I can generate ideas and images very quickly. And
it isn't nearly as messy.
WHEN IS A PAINTING FINISHED?
Never. Obviously there is a point where I stop my involvement and I allow
the painting to evolve on its own. A painting is an ephemeral object and
over time the pigment will fade and the wood will rot and eventually the
painting will decay into nothing. But until the elements have destroyed
the painting it will be encountered by viewers that will give it a new
life and a new meaning and purpose. I like to think that a painting is
a collaboration between the painter, the materials and the viewers. All
three of those elements need to connect to "complete" a painting.
DO YOU BELIEVE AN ARTIST NEEDS FORMAL TRAINING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
ARTIST?
Absolutely not! I often say that I am trying to unlearn my formal training.
I'm trying to liberate myself from all of the rules and restrictions and
formulas that make up my visual vocabulary. I'm trying to remove myself
from the box that I put myself in, or move to another box or change the
shape or size or texture of the box. You are always working within some
sort of boundary but an artist always has the power to redefine those
boundaries. You have to constantly change the formula to remain fresh
and keep your work interesting and progressive. Otherwise, the creative
process begins to become predictable and boring. You have to maintain
a balance between knowledge and exploration. You have to be willing to
break your own rules and experiment with new techniques and ideas. Experimentation
is what makes the creative process fruitful. A good instructor will nurture
this idea but a bad instructor will try to force you to fit inside his
or her own box. I was lucky to have good instructors but not everyone
is so fortunate.
DO YOU DO COMMISSIONED WORKS?
Yes!
HOW DO YOU SELECT THE SUBJECTS FOR YOUR PAINTINGS?
My paintings are becoming less and less about the subject matter and more
about the process that is used to produce the painting. So the subject
has become somewhat arbitrary. So I have a tendency to paint the same
subjects repeatedly. Some of that might be laziness. I paint Lincoln because
I think he looks really cool. He has this very gaunt look that is very
creepy. He also happens to be my favorite president. I just select subjects
or photo references that are visually interesting. I just pull whatever
imagery is readily available.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS HARDER FOR THE MODERN ARTIST TO BE "ORIGINAL"?
I don't think the modern artist should be concerned about being original.
The modern artist should be more concerned about being relevant. Originality
doesn't necessarily translate into quality work or meaningful work, and
originality is a really unrealistic goal. I think the quest to be original
can often become a burden on your creativity because you cut yourself
off from so many possibilities. You limit yourself by avoiding your history.
I choose to embrace my history and pay homage to the artists that have
influenced my work. I definitely wear my influences on my sleeve.I don't
try to avoid anything. I just allow the art to happen.
WHY
DO YOU "DESTROY" A PERFECTLY GOOD PAINTING?
I often recycle my old paintings and on one occasion I was using a belt
sander to remove the image of a skull from a panel I wanted to reuse.
The end result was a ghostly image of the skull. I thought this image
was very interesting and I considered calling it a finished painting because
the image was so haunting, but I didn't have the courage to call it a
finished work. That moment planted the seed for my current work. That
skull was burned into my memory. I started "destroying" my paintings
by splattering and dripping paint onto the surface, or using scrappers
and belt sanders and razor blades to remove paint from the surface of
the painting. I am interested in exploring the conflict between the intellectual
mind and the instinctual mind.
My work examines the conflicts that occur between opposites and how they
coexist. This is demonstrated in the act of painting and not the product
of painting. I explore those conflicts through the physical act of painting.
In my paintings you will often see these more controlled elements (such
as the representational rendering of a woman's face) battling with more
abstract or expressionistic elements such as drips and splatters and scratches.
I often spend several hours painting an image only to cover it up with
drips and splatters. Or I may remove large portions of the image with
electric belt sanders and razor blades. This act of "destruction"
is intended to bring back an element of chance. To give my work an element
of surprise or spontaneity. |