| // Jun 1, 2008 |
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| Artist Feature by Todd Brooks / Pendu Magazine and Gallery |
1. - Q: When did you first start making artwork? Is there a particular artist or group of artists that really sparked your interest in making art?
A: I first started making art as a small child. I think that most people will say that. My father is an artist and my mother liked to make collages with her kids. I was mostly inspired by monster movies. When I was a teenager, I walked into a library and picked up a book called The World of Marcel Duchamp. That’s when I discovered most of my favorite artists – Miró, Tanguy, Ernst, Picabia…
2. - Q: Are you self-taught? Do you feel you had to ‘reinvent the wheel’ on your own to get where you are or are there certain people who have helped guide you along the way? Any important books that you found especially insightful for technique?
A:Except for the early lessons from my parents, I’m entirely self-taught. I learned of decalcomania (which I use extensively) from Breton’s Surrealism and Painting. Otherwise, I’ve gotten a lot more out of gothic novels and books of poetry than from any instructional books.
3. - Q: What keeps you inspired to continue making new work?
A: The process itself. Every time I approach a surface, I’m eager to see what I can make it reveal to me.
4. - Q: What themes do you find yourself most attracted to and returning to in your work?
A: Memory, the night, decay, chickens.
5. - Q: How much of each piece of your artwork would you consider comes from an intuitive or spontaneous sense of creating and how much is analytical and planned out?
A: It’s almost purely spontaneous / intuitive. I love to improvise, and I do it on every level, starting with the selection of materials. Improvisation is the only thing that really interests me. If a man paints precisely what he has planned, then I may be glad that he has shared but I don’t know how he finds joy in doing the painting. For me, every painting is an adventure.
6. - Q: How important is music to your art? Do you listen to certain music when working? Any particular musicians?
A: I sometimes listen to music when I paint. No particular musician, but I prefer jazz. The tempo of the music will influence the speed at which I paint. Usually, however, I paint in the yard.
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7. - Q: Do you have a favorite cultural critic, philosopher, or psychoanalyst that you enjoy reading/learning from? Has their work directly or indirectly influenced you and if so, in what ways?
A: No one in particular.
8. - Q: Who is your favorite young author right now?
A: I honestly don’t have one. Almost everything that I read was written between the 1750s and 1970s. The only contemporary writer whom I’m really into is Thomas Ligotti, and I think he’s 54.
9. - Q: Is there a young visual artist right now whose work particularly has your attention?
A: There are two: my friends Adam Frezza and AG Davis.
10. - Q: Do you make a living as an artist? If not, and you don't mind sharing, what is your day/night job?
A: I’ve never made a cent from visual art. From my music, I’ve probably made less than $200 in my life. I’ve worked at a record shop for almost nine years and I still enjoy it.
11. - Q: What are your future plans?
A: I want to make a film. Actually, I want to make a lot of them. I had been playing with digital video for about a year and I just acquired Super 8 gear.
12. - Q: Any cryptic messages that you would like to send out to the readers?
A: “Ekklau dekkmaar ooghfthalhen.”
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