1. Describe yourself, your artwork...who is Alex Pardee?
I’m a really overweight skinny illustrator who thinks up is down and bad is good, and I have rare disease where I uncontrollably just work and eat. I’m always changing, so I think my art kind of changes a lot too. The best way to describe my art is that it is undeniably just my insides. My guts.




2. When did you begin to develop your unique style and what are some experiences that might have helped?
Sam Kieth (who created THE MAXX) helped shape my outlook on art, not necessarily my style or my technical skill, which I am still trying so hard to improve!, but I was exposed to his art at a pivotal point I think, around the age of 15, right when I was discovering that I wanted to do art for a living, and more specifically, illustration or comic book art. Before that I was so held to relatively safe and standard comic art and cartooning. But when I saw Sam’s comic THE MAXX, it blew me away because here was this real comic book that you could buy everywhere on the same shelves as Spiderman and Batman and X-men, but the art was so expressive and weird and ugly and beautiful and emotional, and the stories revolved around actual fucked up human issues and flaws. I realized how attracted to flaws I was at this point and I think that was the beginning of it.



3. To elaborate on this last question; the themes in your work are relatively dark. What inspires you to conjure this imagery and why do you think people relate to it?
I don’t think I will ever fully understand what interests me visually about dark themes and imagery, the general taboo of it maybe? I just pretty much accept it and let it do what it wants, like George Stark in that book “The Dark Half”. The funny thing is that I constantly get this weird reaction like “Your work is so gory and dark and horrific” which confuses me sometimes because I rarely see that, and even if I try to look into my pieces with the exception of a few, there’s almost NEVER blood or guts or a lot of violence, I think it’s just almost like a weird Rorschach ink blot that somehow looks like it SHOULD be fucked up, so people see that in it. When taking recognizable imagery, like human nature and body parts, appendages, fingers, simple facial expressions, relationships like mother / daughter or captor/prisoner or something like that, and apply those themes to any shape or form it becomes relate-able. And at the same time it kind of becomes vague and open for interpretation. I like that in other art, so I guess I do that too.


4. Who or what are these different characters that you draw? Do they have names or stories? Are they rooted in people that you know? Inner demons? Crack heads you see walking down the street?
A lot of the characters that I draw are simply just aesthetically weird..things. I mean, the look of them or their actions probably stem from some random memories or something, I worked in a MALL at a toy store for 9 years! So there’s definitely some repressed visuals in there. Also, I draw what I want to see, and what I wish was lumbering out in the world. I wish when we went to the store, we had to drive around a giant 8 legged blob of hair and said hi to the bright blue blind guy with tentacle legs at the store. I think that would be interesting. I might get out more if that were the case.



5. What is your process of creation? For example, when you are working on a piece, do you have it mapped out in your head from the start or do you work off of instinct?
I have to map things out for commercial jobs, but that’s why I get so little commercial jobs, it’s really hard for me to just think of something and draw it. If you asked me to draw a football player I would freak out and tell myself that I can’t do it unless I actually went to football camp and studied them for months! So it’s tough. But any of my own stuff, yah, I’m a lot more fearless, I just kinda make shapes and sketch for hours with really loose ideas, and then eventually, I just decide to stop and work with those shapes and mold them into something that either tells a story or is visually interesting.


6. What are your mediums?
I like to try anything I can touch, from shitty tempera paint to inks to like, brake fluid or something. My favorite mediums are pen & ink, and watercolors. Those seem to be the constant. But I have been excited to finally explore more oil paints next year, I just got a ton of oils and I’m going to lock myself in a tiny room with no ventilation and see if that changes my ability for the better. That always happens to superheroes, right? That’s how they get powers...by experimenting in harsh conditions and then lightning strikes or something. That’s what I’m shooting for.




7. Elaborate on your background and the artistic path you’ve traveled to get to where you are now in work. In other words, what forms or mediums of artwork are rooted in you and what you do?
It’s pretty simple, I started in like 3rd grade trying to mimic drawing Garfield and Haggar and then moved on to drawing Garbage pail kids, became a skateboarder, went into the mental hospital, got out, was put on medication, tried to draw comics for real, got into graffiti, then transitioned into my own comics and from there started experimenting with painting and just said, "This is what I'm going to do until I explode and die."


8. What is it in your day to day that motivates you?
The satisfaction in accomplishing something. Doesn’t really matter what it is, even if it’s a failure.



9. How do you work? Messy? Organized? Lefty? Righty?
Damn, I wish I was organized. I’m a mess, with pretty much every aspect of my life haha. Especially my work. I have paint or ink on every piece of clothing I have, even my bed sheets and towels. It’s retarded. And my disorganization is what causes a lot of stress, but I’m getting some help with that now thankfully. And I’m left handed, but I’ve never been able to do anything with my left hand, even when I was little, it’s always come naturally with my right.



10. Could you talk a bit about Chadam? Who is he and in which twisted corner of your brain was he born? How long were you in labor? What does he do for fun?
Chadam’s overrun my life for, shit, over 2 years now I think. The creation of Chadam was a weird birth, it was a backwards birth. I created the idea of his future before he was even conceived. I created Chadam for the band The Used when we were coming up with visual concepts for their album “Lies for the Liars” which I art directed. We knew we wanted to create a character that we can also expand and give life to beyond the music and visual sides, but we didn’t really have any concept beyond that. So I created Chadam, and since that initial sketch, every aspect of his life has kind of manifested itself step by step, aside from the general origin and world that he lives in. It’s like, “oh, he needs a friend? Ok, well, he’s friends with an 8 year old girl with a pumpkin head and vine-hair, and she has a hand puppet named Manda.” Then more and more of his mythology would work around that idea of constantly using my imagination to continue to build off of the small amounts of foundation that we gave ourselves. And for fun…he cries. His head hurts a lot.

11. What was the process of making the real life Chadam costume? What are the materials you used? How long did it take?
It was a long but awesome process. I worked with a movie effects company called Monster Effects, in LA, and because Chadam and the other characters had such weird huge heads and unique shapes, it was all trial and error. The masks are all rubber latex (with some fur and plastic parts), but because they are so big, the first Chadam mask weighed like 80 pounds! We had to build a whole support system for it, it was silly looking. So it was a trial and error process, but we worked on getting them right for like 4 or 5 months.



12. Could you talk a bit about the Chadam movie that you’ve been working on with Warner Bros.? When will we see a trailer?
It’s being kept under wraps as far as the story and stuff for the most part, but I have been working on it with HD Films and WB for over a year. What I CAN tell you, is that it’s going to actually be 10 different 5 minute episodes that altogether form a 50 minute, fully CG animated movie. We are using the Unreal Engine for a lot of the creation and execution, which is something that is normally used for video games like Bioshock and Gears of war. It’s looking beautiful, we have a lot of talented teams of people working on it, like Exigent, House of Moves, Epic, The Engine Room, Jon Wayshak helped with the storyboards, Dave Corriea helped with concept art, Adam Peterson helped me write the story, etc. It’s a dark drama-horror-fantasy-coming of age movie! We crossed a lot of genres but that’s just naturally how Chadam’s story and his world fell together. We are actually showing the first ever glimpse at the Chadam show next week at the San Diego Comic Con. I’m really nervous because almost no one except us that are close to the project has been allowed to see it but I’m pretty sure they will dig it. Also, there’s gonna be a cool announcement about it too. We got some pretty insanely awesome voice talent for it.



13. What is Cardboard City and how did you get involved?
Cardboard City is simply a collected group of like-minded creative friends that, over the years, have all crossed paths and respected each other’s work, and we’ve collaborated on a bunch of things. The group is mostly musicians & DJ’s (Like Daryl Palumbo, Cage, Yak Ballz, Aesop, Dj Glue,), but there are a few artists, and now even an actor (Shia LaBaouf). I got linked up through working with hip hop artist CAGE a few years ago. We hooked up and kinda worked on some stuff together, and become close friends even though we lived on different coasts, and through him I met a lot of the other guys and we just have always clicked.





14. “The Secrets of Hollywood” is one of my favorites of your endeavors. How did you come up with this idea and the clever “secrets” written about various celebrities and socialites? Feel free to elaborate on your view of Hollywood and the people in it.
Hollywood’s such a love hate thing. It’s retarded, and most people involved in it are retarded, but at the same time, I’m so enthralled by a lot of what happens in Hollywood. It’s like any supervillain, like the Joker. Yah, the Joker hates Batman, but if Batman didn’t exist, the Joker would have nothing to do. I admire so many creative people in Hollywood individually but as a whole, its this weird Voltron of hungry and heartless aliens who’s first words when it meets you are “what can yoooou do for meeeeee?” The way the whole “Secrets” thing started was because somehow I stumbled on the fact that Keifer Sutherland is a twin. That’s true. I was so amazed for some reason about that because it seemed to be such uncommon knowledge that it seemed secret. So I just thought it would be funny if everyone in Hollywood had these weird secrets. So I investigated, and sure enough, they did. Everything in that book is true.




15. What advice would you give to students studying the arts?
Just absorb as much as you can. And be persistent. That’s the best advice. But the persistence should come naturally if you love what you’re doing. But it’s the most important thing. Be patient, do your thing, practice, admire, copy, be jealous, study, hate yourself, anything that pushes you to improve and learn.

16. What is an average day like for you? First you wake up……
And freak out that I think I’m already behind schedule. I try to answer emails in the morning, and pick up any pieces from whatever I was juggling with the night before. Meet friends for coffee, which is like the only social life I have right now besides my girlfriend. Paint / draw and watch shitty movies and think “Why do I keep renting these direct to DVD movies EVERY day!?”. Then realize I’m behind on Dexter season 2 and watch some of those and get happy. Stay up really late at my studio and do interviews in the middle of the night.

17. Any exciting exhibitions or projects coming up?
Aside from the Chadam movie with WB, I have a big new project coming out in October with HURLEY, and I finally have an art book coming out. Upper Playground is putting it out, its called Awful/Homesick. And I have a big solo show at 5024SF in January. And I’m constantly working on new designs for Zerofriends, the clothing and art-print company that co-own and art direct. (http://zerofriends.com/store/)




18. How does music influence or inspire your work if at all? What sort of music do you listen to?
Anything with noise influences me, really. Music, movie scores, movie dialogue playing in the background, talk radio, books on tape, podcasts. I get lonely with silence, so I have to constantly have some audio influence. Music doesn’t necessarily dictate my style or subject matter, but it helps me get through it. When I’m working I listen to a lot of movie scores, I love Tomandandy, Daniel Lanois, Clint Mansell, the Rza, and Angelo Badalamenti. Also music that sounds like score, like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Portishead, and Taughtme. Aside from that though, I’m a super big old hip hop head. I listen to almost anything from 1988 to 1994. Old bay area mob / gangster rap like e-40. I love wu-tang. I don’t know. Some newer stuff is rad too. Cage is amazing. Topr, Z-man, Aesop Rock. And At The Drive In’s “Relationship on Command” is my favorite album ever I think.



19. Speaking of music, how did you get involved with The Used and various other album art projects? Does the music influence what you create? If so, could you give examples?
I got involved with the Used by a friend of Quinn (the guitarist of The Used) showing the band my art online. At the time I had a small website and I was practically homeless, selling 5 or 6 paintings a day on ebay for 10 – 20 bucks a piece. I had just got my first real comics job working on OJO with Sam Kieth, and The Used just basically called me up and the next day I was working for them. It was pretty surreal. Most of the jobs, with the exception of The Used, I have to start working on them long before the music is done, so it’s hard to draw direct influence, but I have a strict thing that I have to work directly with the band, as opposed to a label or a manager. So we form a good relationship and talk about stuff a lot so the concepts and ideas stem from just bullshitting with the bands and being friends. I think it’s better that way. With The Used it’s been a little different because I got the chance to actually just throw myself into the whole project and sit with them in the studio and live with them while they were creating the music so yah, that had a heavy influence.




20. Anything else you think the world should know about you?
That I’m really tired….and that I bleed probably more than I should. And I want a hamster that I can turn into a champion.

Check out my art at eyesuckink.com

http://amandalynnpaintings.imeem.com/

1. Describe yourself....your art.


Well describing my art and myself may still be something I am figuring out, but what I know about both is that I'm loving being a part of each. My art is inspired by so many different characters, imagery, and influences that it is hard to describe, other than I guess my main goal is to create something worth viewing for more than just a glance. My life is hectic but great. I love my job and love the insane hours of painting any time and all the time there is a minute free from work.

2. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania until the age of 18, though I credit my true beginnings as an artist from that time, I also realize I have done a huge amount of 'growing up' in San Francisco.

3. When did you begin to develop your unique style?

I was fortunate to be instructed by a truelly prolific man, Robin Grass for about 6 years of my life in Pennsylvania. I can directly contribute my techniques, fantasy imagery and beginnings of style from him. After leaving PA and coming to SF, I think my work began to be come much more of my own, especially after meeting the Seventh Letter. They showed me the importance of creating your own individual style that stands out from all the rest. I met them about 6 months after I moved here in 2000.



4. What are some things that inspire you or drive you? Other artists, music, places etc.

Wow, there are so many things. Mainly I appreciate all the great friends I have that are so passionate about their work, they keep me passionate about mine.

5. How do you work? Messy? Organized? Lefty? Righty?

Well if you looked at my paint clothes and my house, you would definately say I am a messy painter, but on canvas I am pretty methodical and clean. I just tend to get paint on everything else.
I'm right handed.

6. Who are your women? Or are they in fact faries? Where do they come from and what are their stories?

I don't know if they are faries, but they are indeed symbols of female strength and confidence. I like to give them the extra twist of color or ears simply because I want to display there female characteristics beyond just the surface of everyday interpretations of a woman. Some have stories, but most are influenced by women around me, women I admire, and women I check out!

7. What is it about fantasy that intrigues you so much? What, if anything, from reality carries over into fantasy and vice versa?

Fantasy just breaks all the rules, and I love that. There are no restrictions or limitations to what is expected, but it is fun to include reality into the mix for more of a connection.

8. Is there a particular message or feeling you'd like your viewers to walk away with?



Just to be glad they saw my imagery.

9. Describe your work with motercycles.

Well, my work with motorcycles is my work. It is a job that interests me very much, there is so much to learn and so many different types of paint and applications that are new and different from my traditional training. It's not all glitz and glam, there is a lot of physical labor and sanding, sanding, sanding, involved, but secretly I love the tediousness of sanding. Basically I am fortunate enough to have a job that I love, so that I can support my art career.

10. What are your processes? In painting, with sculpture (restoration projects, cameos, motorcylces) and even curating. Is there a method to your madness? (So to speak)

Processes in restoration are very critical to the outcome, and usually are pretty hellish. The restoration projects we do involve lots of toxic and insane methods of stripping and repairing. It's hard to describe without going into a technical disertation about things that proabably don't interest you. All I can say is, it's not for the faint of heart. I am lucky to work with my boss, who is an expert in restoration. The cameos and vases I am doing are fun, I'm still learning as I ago about casting and such. It is a great example of how my work carries over into my art and visa versa.
Curating is a whole different beast. I love it, but it takes some patience. My boyfriend, Norm, and I tend to do this together. He is the people person and knows how to get people to do what he wants. I am more of the organizer, and we both come up with lots of ideas. We basically do these massive group shows to give all these amazing artists we surround ourselves with , a chance to shine to the outside world.

11. How did you get into curating?

I would have to say, it all started with this huge one night event Norm, Reyes, and myself organized about 4 years ago called 'Witty Remarks'. We were given this amazing delapedated space to have a show in, if we in turn cleared the place out. It's hard to describe in words how disgusting this place was. There were bums living in there and just shit piled up for years. But we did it, and we built walls and bars and installations, and called all our friends together to create this amazing show. The turn out from that, which included a line a block long out the door, showed us that we had stumbled upon something that people really must want to see. From then on it just took off.

12. Any exciting exhibitions coming up for you?

Yes. I leave in two days for an east coast semi tour. I have a really important show to me, Wicked, this coming Saturday the 8th of September in Pennsylvania with my mentor Robin Grass. Then, I leave from there to show with Norm and Push in NYC at the Invisble NYC gallery in Soho. Needless to say, I'm excited.

13. Your Dream Girls show made it into Best of the Bay.
Congratulations. Could you tell me a little about this show; the artists involved and the work involved?

Dream Girls was great. I was very pleased to have it in Best of the Bay, and more than pleased to get the opportunity to show an even more extensive crowd the artist's work. I started off with the idea of wanting to do something different than our usual graffitti type art show. First it was just going to be a few of my close friends from across the country that love to do female imagery. Then, as I started looking around and talking to more artists about it, I realized it was an opportunity to get a whole bunch of artists involved in a theme that they may not traditionally work with.
Everyone came through with amazing work, and it was a great experience for me.

14. My favorite pieces of yours are "Sirena" and "Nina". Could you talk about some of the concepts involved in these?

Nina is special to me. She was my first real step into creating my seductive type portraits. I painted her for the 'Witty Remarks' show.
She is inspired from one of my favorite models, Nina Brosch. Sirena is just a seductive image I came up with one day around Christmas for a show at Upper Playground. I think I must have been thinking of her as the best Christmas present you could ask for!



15. What are some of your favorite San Francisco spots?

Meaning walls? My favorite place to paint is right down the street from my house off of valencia behind the volvo shop and scuderia.
It's a quiet alley and you can find lots of my girlies there. I also really enjoy painting the wall on Florida and 17th, though there's usually lots of bum leavings to deal with. Actually to think of it, I love painting any wall in SF.

16. Favorite bands?

TOOL

17. Where do you see your work going in the future?

Well its started to go international and I plan on making that a permanent move for me.

(Photography by Meryl Pataky)


Can I just start off by showing you a video? I know it seems a little strange to start this off with a random video however, it's Henry's favorite on the internet nowadays and to see it is to understand a little bit more about who Henry is. He showed it to me on his iPhone in his studio. He screams, "I"M OLD GREG!!!" He has taken the shenanigans so far that even the friend who initially showed him the video is regretting it at this point.

"There's one thing that is the most hilarious shit that I've ever, ever, ever seen....and it's called Old Greg."

Without any further ado:

Now, with that out of the way, let me tell you about the man, the techniques, the concepts, the opinions, and the extremely unique personality that is Henry Lewis.

How Henry sees himself

M: How would you describe yourself, Henry?

H: I'm loud.

M: That's it?

H. That's it.



Henry and I drank Tecate with limes, which we refer to as gourmet (pronounce the t), and of course shots of Jameson here and there. He gave me a brief run-down of oil painting and the techniques and decisions involved, pausing every once and a while to sing or play air guitar to his music. As Henry "pushed and pulled" the skull in the foreground of his painting, we talked about brush strokes, glazes, oil vs. acrylic and the pros and cons of each. Henry used to paint in nothing but acrylic but has taken to oils with a passion. With the pushing and pulling, loving and hating, working and waiting, a complex relationship is built between medium and maker.


"I could do a painting in acrylic and finish it in one evening and varnish it and it will be fine. With oil, your gonna have to wait at least six to eight months for it to fully cure before you can put your glaze on it; cause if not, it's gonna start separating and cracking and you know, fuck it up."

Henry glazes his paintings, which brings certain tones and highlights to the front while pushing others back. Apparently some people consider this cheating, but Henry doesn't cheat. Henry is an honest man.

"I glaze to push back. I like it when everything looks like it has a bit of a haze to it."

Henry's paintings have a religious composition with Caravaggio lighting. He uses animals in triptychs (birds, monsters etc.) with religious and symbolic gestures; alot of shadows.

"I paint a lot about duality. I paint a lot about inner struggles with myself, religion, relationships, the way a song makes me feel or something that I've gone through in my life. There are also a lot of inside jokes in my paintings. If someone knew me, they would know exactly what my work means"

"I'll come to my studio at midnight and leave at 6 in the morning and it feels like I've only been here for two hours. It's so much fun..I get so lost in it.


Along with painting and showing, Henry's "day job" is at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco. Henry is one of the most reputable tattooers in this city. Known for his lines and gray shading, Henry has been tattooing in the city for ten years. Before he started tattooing, Henry had worked at a myriad of places including a printing press, as a break-dancing teacher, Kinkos and even McDonalds for 5 hours.



Henry and tattooing:

M: How did you get started tattooing?

H: By accident.

Henry says this with a laugh. I'm sure it's funny to him considering the fact that now, it is a huge portion of his life. To do something for ten years is amazing and to accidentally fall into that thing that you've done for ten years is actually pretty humorous. Even more humorous considering the fact that Henry is definitely not finished. I think this is where the term "happy accident" comes from.

"I never wanted to be a tattooer when I was a kid. I always thought they were rad and I never knew I had it in me to do it"
He tells me the story of his transition from working for the man, to being his own man. He started hanging out at the tattoo shop by his work on his breaks. Eventually he became an assistant at the shop and the rest is technically history...including the suit he burned when he quit his job. He burned it in a frying pan. Just picture it. Classic.



M: When did you start really enjoying it? It seems as though you hadn't even thought about it at first.

H: My friend asked me to draw a tattoo for him. I was only used to seeing gangster tattoos on all my buddies in high school. So I thought, they can't reproduce this. Two days later my friend says, "Hey check this shit out." He lifts up his shirt and there is the exact drawing I did and that one drawing made me fall in love with tattooing. And it's because of him that I got into the idea of the permanency. Also, tattooing is a very weird animal because a lot of people see it as a very cool job to do and even though surface level it is, there is so much discipline in it and there is so much that is not going on these days that was back then. The industry is definitely lacking. There are a lot of people that are just starting and they have no idea who the key people are and what they do for tattooing.

: Target

: Me Play Joke

: Nobody loves me Everybody hates me

: Another useless Gift

: Another Useless Gift Revisited

: Hare Cut

: Mono_Ram

: Jacked

1. How would you describe yourself? Your art?
im a guy in his early 30's who spends way too much time alone in his
house drawing pictures. my art? semi narrative drawings paintings and
screen prints. using a library of symbols, characters, animals, and
vehicles placed together in strange combinations to tell little
stories.


2. How/when did you begin to develop your unique style?
junior high school i guess. re-drawing skateboard graphics and logos in my notebooks. mimicking the line quality from skateboard graphics and graffiti, and adding my own elements of silliness and stupidity. my friends and i had a crew, i made the t-shirts.

3. What are some of the concepts you explore in your work? What types of
stories do you tell?
the concepts are basic. the stories are simple, but abstract. my hope is the viewer combines the images provided to piece together the ingredients for a memory or an experience similar to the drawing. from that the viewer writes his/her own ending to the story. you don’t need a degree or a two page explanation as to what the work is about. artwork for normal people with a taste for the absurd. my concept has alot to do with making artwork that speaks to a more mainstream audience. everyone. not just those elite few that can afford to enjoy it. people buy my images because they like them, not because i make a nice addition to the private collection collecting dust for that epic day when it may gain value, and make that wise collector some hard earned cash. to me that is more about investing, and less about art, and my imagery and concepts are not really a part of that world, and neither am i. i proudly make t-shirts, skateboard graphics, album covers, vinyl toys, sneakers, and whatever else i can lend my images to make a something cool, regular people can afford. i thrive on giving something back to the sub-cultures that made me who i am.

4. Who are the silly pink bunnies and what do they do?
top secret sorry. see also: free masons, illuminati, knights of the round table, lambda lambda, and the teenage mutant ninja turtles.



5. How did you get into making shoes? What is the process involved?
an opportunity presented itself to work with nike, so i did. it took
2.5 years, but it came out nice. i sent material samples and drawings,
and we sampled it overseas until it was perfect. i am really happy
with it. my mom wears them.

6. How do you work? Messy? Organized? Righty? Lefty?
both messy but still organized. i have a bigger studio now, but i used to have to be organized in smaller space so shit didn’t get ruined or lost. i am right handed, but i can use a jigsaw with the left when necessary.

7. Can you tell me a little about your series of work in which animals are
weapons? Bunny grenades and gun fish....what does it all mean?
that ongoing saga between cute and creepy. i am fascinated by the impact of an image that finds the perfect balance of cute and approachable, and intimidating and scary at the same time. it draws you in, and scares you away at the same time. the bunny weapons did a nice job with that recipe i think.

8. What is an average day like for you? First you wake up....
drink coffee and walk around north beach and Chinatown. email, run errands, get supplies, drop stuff off to be mailed or shipped, and the get started. usually 3 or 4 pm to 3 or 4 am. the phone rings less no one stops by. just me and the well fed bums of north beach holding it down over here until the sun comes up. i don’t have much else in my life except the work. i live a fairly simple solo workaholic lifestyle. having friends and loved ones takes time away from what i am trying to do, so i am cutting back on that shit alot this year.


9. Who or what are some of your inspirations?
dr suess, hannah barbara, skateboard graphics from the late 80's and early 90's., cafe Trieste, raw natural beauty, day to day living, barry mcgee, mike giant, mat obrien, travis millard, michael sieben, mars 1, shawn barber, tiffany bozic, the color brown, the letter s, the number 3, american vans from the 60s, my grandfather nick d'agostino, and a bunch of birds.

10. Can you elaborate on the process of your sculptural custom decks?
the decks are defects from a local manufacturer. i cut them out with a scroll saw and paint them. i like giving something that was intended for skating, that because it is defective has no real purpose, and reinterpret it to give it a new life.



11. Is there any J.Fish tattoo flash that I can get my hands on?
no.

12. Art school?
i got alot out of it, but it’s not for everyone.

13. Tell me a little bit about the collaborations you have done. "The Big
Stupid" and Aesop Rock for example.
i like working with other people i respect. i spend too much time alone, so when i get to work with other talented folks, it is a real treat for me. i just finished the album cover and music video for Aesop’s new full length album, none shall pass, due out august 28th.


14. How do you approach commissions?
i don’t usually.

15. Favorite bands?
right now i like this guy despot from queens. the new Aesop is also way too good. i have been a def jux fan from the beginning. so i always listen to el-p, mr lif, cage, rob sonic, and those dudes. i grew up skating and listening to hip hop pretty strictly. i won’t lie about it now because it doesn’t match my track bike or whatever. yes i am a grown man who listens to hip hop, and occasionally jazz.

16. Favorite SF skate spots?
ft miley and the dish.

17. Are you planning on expanding your dead rapper series to include artists?
like 2Pac and JDilla? i did 2pac, and i will do jdilla. rip dudes.


18. Where do you see your work going a year from now?
i don’t look that far down the road. natural progressions i hope. too much ambition will kill the soul.


19. How many pieces are you working on for your solo show at White Walls in
August? Can you give us any hints as far as a theme or direction?
40. i made them all in the last couple months in my new space. hints? larger wood cutouts, more use of patterns. some weird wooden shit too. come by and check it out.

20. Text and phrasing seems very important to you...could you elaborate?
i don’t use alot of text in my stuff so i use it sparingly, i guess. say more with images and less with actual words. i am not big on "i am so much smarter than you" witty banter. i won’t waste the viewer’s time pretending i am so smart.

21. Being an artist is hard sometimes. Do you feel
confident in your work at this point or do you question yourself from time
to time?
being an artist isn’t that hard. imagine being a doctor or plumber? that shit is really hard. this is more like a dream come true, and as well as i work more hours than anyone i know, i love almost every minute of it, and wouldn’t trade it for shit. but yes questioning yourself and your stuff is super important. when you stop asking questions, you are officially overconfident, and i am anything but at this point.

Describe yourself....your art.
1) I'm a skinny, six foot, brown eyed, brown haired man. My shoes and sunglasses, usually match my shirt. I'm a Gemini. I have a habit of growing my hair out so I can shave it off and start all over. My eye brows are the favorite part of my body. I am meticulous, organized and borderline O.C.D. I can be a little intense for some people. I like to feel a persons soul by looking in their eyes. I'm passionate. Being born and raised in California has made me pretty mellow. I have some style.

I would describe my work as clean and graphic at it's core. Primarily figurative, rooted in design and highly controlled. My heart desires to be looser w/ my work, but I am afraid it has yet to be a part of my construct.


What is an average day like for you? First you wake up.....
2) Average day - Awake around 8 o'clock; breakfast is a smoothie in the shower, which usually lasts 20 minutes. (I know what your thinking, but I honestly just enjoy beginning the day w/ a long shower alright) I ride my bike to work (Bernal Heights to Downtown) I work as a frame designer for the Weinstein gallery off of Union Square. There is a total of seven galleries and I work for all of them. There, I design frames for Picassos, Chagalls, Dalis and other, high end, art market work. Designs are sent to SF via NY and then fit in the gallery basement before they are displayed for sale. After work, I play pool several times a week and then it's home to eat and possibly paint. I paint in bursts. I'll paint for 6 - 15 hours a day for six weeks or so and then break for nearly the same amount of time. So the days I am at the day job, my painting hours are 10 pm till around 4 am. Then it's to bed; I wake up at 8 and off to work. Weekends are solid painting if I'm in the midst of a "burst" otherwise I'm cruising up and down the coast in my ridiculously, impractical car.

Your style is constantly changing from 2001-present. Can you talk about your evolution as an artist?
3) My evolution as an artist has taken me from Transportation design to Fine Art. Personally, I need to see the evolution in my work in order to validate my being an artist. Primarily a self taught artist, I have been very careful to stay rigidly dedicated to my own path. I left two art schools for this reason. I'm like a sponge and I will mimic styles and techniques which I am exposed to, without reason or thought. The reason why I moved away from design and into fine art was strictly due to the freedom which I needed to express, within the realm of art. My work has constantly transformed into different styles and I explore each new style as it develops, until it develops into yet another. I paint my ideas in small series of work or themes and move on from there as I learn from the process. I have only recently realized my intention to marry a unique style or feel to each individual idea. I am just beginning to feel I am at a place where I wish to have clear purpose and meaning in my images. Not only for a viewer to receive a message of their own, but to receive what I am saying, in addition to the emotion I paint into a piece.



What are some of the concepts you explore in your work?
4) Past concepts have been such as the marriage of organic elements with space craft. Space craft possessing the characteristics of plants, insects and aquatic animals. I am incredibly influenced by fashion and that element has definitely entered my work in a thematic sense. The most severe theme in my work came in my 2007, 111 Minna show, last February. That particular show was regarding the pain realized and personally experienced due to the discovery of my, wife's infidelity. My last body of work was for a show on Alcatraz Island and carried the theme of the Native American occupation of Alcatraz in 1969. I see my working going to a darker place in the near future.


What are your mediums?
5) Mediums: I have been an acrylic whore for the last twelve years, but as of December 2006, have picked up oil paint and I am having a lot of fun with it. I intend on using oils only, for a while. Oil paint is making me feel like more of a painter than acrylic ever has and I am becoming addicted to the mood it reflects. I'll create something with almost anything though and don't really loathe any mediums related to painting or drawing. Oh and I love to play with heavily diluted acrylic washes on wood. And wood...I can't get enough of painting on wood. I rarely paint on canvas any more.

What are some things that inspire you? People, places, music etc?
6) I am inspired by more than I probably realize. Consciously though, I am inspired by other artists, a persons work ethic (if strong and determined), the right woman, fashion, hot rods, uniquely designed and placed tattoos, confidence, the sound of a person completely enveloped in their music, my friends, dogs, finches, octopi (which in my opinion to be the most magnificent creature I know of), insects, big hair, going fast, Prague, seeing unfamiliar places in the world for the first time and food. I believe inspiration to be an overall feeling of possitivity derived through good experiences.


Your paintings on glass from 2003 are amazing and very humorous.
Could you talk a bit about your cartoon style and why you steered away from it?
7) The cartoon work is was doing in 2003 was a reflection of where I was in my life at that time. I was blindly in love, still unsure of who I was as a young man, and toying with my work in relation to the marketability of it. My work on glass ceased, due to the limitations the medium demanded. Glass didn't lend itself to rendering with tone and didn't accept detail in the way I intended on implementing it. And glass shatters when it breaks along with the hours spent painting it. I do still carry the humor from that period of my work and it shows up in paintings from time to time.



Your current series is unlike anything you've done. Describe this series of work. Who are these character? What is your process?
8) Meryl, the current series which you mentioned is actually not current because I have neglected to update my site, due to plans of revamping. (I have attached some current images, which you will see, are again, different) But, in regards to those "current" images: The figures were an elaboration of the figurative doodles I used to draw in my sketchbook. Through drawing figures from life, I developed a punctuated style of the figure, which reflected what would become a recognizable LeBrun. These features included egg shaped heads with sharp, angular chins, seductive eyes with the lashes themselves, drawn inches off of the face. Head dresses, sharp eyebrows and long neck lines. Sharp points to emphasize shoulder blades, elbows and hip bones. For that body of work, I revisited this figurative style and offered more elegance, refinement and ornaments. That particular series focused largely on garment (as many of my previous figures were usually nudes) hair style and accessories. The show which this work was for, was called, "Easy Does It." The meaning being that the work reflected a simple beauty. Basic in palate, supported by composition and very basic design elements by the use of simple shapes which shared a contrast of the same palate. The characters themselves are merely representational of the ideal beauty so carefully choreographed by the media; be it print, film, etc. The process...begin with a precise sketch, choose three complimentary colors and begin painting with tones in between. Finish with exact black lines and white highlights; used to contrast the opposite tone. Black against pale colors and white against dark colors.





With your current work, you show your color pallet in some of your pieces using circles, rectangles or squares. Explain.
9) Again, the use of basic shapes which share the same colors as the piece, is a design standard. It is the very essence of minimalism. Precise, simple and highly effective. This concept is all around us in nearly every logo we know. The shapes I used in those particular, fashion type pieces are in a sense a brand on the piece itself. It serves as a punctuation. A period or exclamation point!

Where do you see your work going in a year?
10) My work a year from now??? I can't honestly say...I feel I have just reached a beginning point. - Meaning that I feel the last twelve years of painting was a large arc and I am now at the beginning of a curve to a new and much larger arc. I am 31, my personal life has been turned inside out and I am now on a different path. This doesn't mean I will no longer be an artist. It means, I am no longer a husband or a soon to be father and this means my art will be drastically different, due to the fact that my decisions are now, individual decisions. I now can devote more time and rightfully be more selfish with my artistic choices. It's downright exciting and I look forward to the direction my art will go because of this fact.

Art Schools?
11) I completed one semester in transportation design at the Art Center in Pasadena and one semester in fine art at The Academy of Art in San Francisco. School is a great tool for many people/artists and is crucial to the development of civilization. But school never jived with me personally. It only got in the way of what I was already doing on my own. Creating original works of art that were reflections of my character and experiences. Stay in school! or drop out if you know you possess the drive to succeed without it.

Any exciting exhibitions coming up?
12) What's next. I have a solo show scheduled for February 2008 at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. I have just come off of a slew of group shows and though I plan on painting through the summer, do not have anything scheduled out side of commissions.


How do you usually approach commissions?
13) Commissions: I, like many artists I'm sure, have been financially burned on commissions in the past and therefore am a bit of a business man when considering them now. Simple breakdown: Complete creative control (I may accept a clients color preference in some cases) Half down, nonrefundable, to begin a piece, I must be paid in full in order for a client to obtain the art upon completion. If a client is unsatisfied...I still receive payment, though I aim to please and always have. (I know, it sounds bitchy, but it works for me and weeds out the, "on the fence" types) I'm picky when it comes to commissions. I thrive on personal inspiration to paint. I'm not a drone...you love ducks; great! I may not, so I may have a hard time painting one. Or some. Or many. But in the end, I guess it all depends on how much a duck is worth to them or me.

What are some of your favorite Bay Area Spots?
14) Bay are spots. I love to eat good food, so restaurants first: Salt House, Front Porch, Blue Plate, Chez Spencer, Cafe Kati, RNM & St. Francis Diner for breakfast, & the Ramp, to name a few. Bars: all the "Thieves" joints - Dirty Thieves, Whiskey Thieves, Thieves Tavern, Danny Coyles, Folleys Irish Pub. Places: Baker Beach, Fort Funston with a good dog, Dolores Park, a skate on the Embarcadero, Stinson Beach, a drive north or south on Hwy 1, in a fast car. A suite at the Ledson Hotel on Sonoma Plaza. Hell, I love the bay area and most spots suit me just fine.


How do you work? Messy ? Organized? Lefty? Righty?
15) How I work: I'm a righty, skate goofy though. Left hand only becomes effective with women. I am impeccably organized when it comes to working. Everything has a place and when an item is removed, it is returned to it's original location. The paint in my studio is coordinated by color. I paint small pieces on a drafting table which my parents gave me in high school. I paint large pieces on easels or walls and work on the floor when using loose, liquid mediums. I listen to music when I paint, but usually become so focused on what I'm doing, that I don't really listen to it. I try and play music which matches whatever pace I may be working in at the time. Miles Davis is usually the perfect fit. I usually paint with mid-size, flat brushes and will paint a whole painting with the same brush, no matter how minute the detail becomes. Except the finishing outline, of course.

Favorite bands?
16) Favorite music: Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, Hendrix, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Pink Floyd, Elvis, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Nirvanna, Sublime, Jurassic Five, Dre, Snoop, Outcast, St. Germain, White Stripes, Z Trip, Shadow, Chemist, I like most Reggae, most Classical, nearly everything produced by Six Degrees Records and old school compilations by local DJ's, Delivery, Kels One, Gordo Cabeza, BCUZ - to name a few.

Favorite foods?
17) Despite my narrow frame and the constant misconception that I am vegetarian, I love food...all kinds of food. I enjoy a nice cut of red meat w/ a glass of Pinot. Oysters w/ a Hefeweizen. Mussels w/ French Chardonnay. Mexican food (Ceviche), Thai food, Indian food, Italian food (the arrugala and cherry tomato pizza at a little joint in Positano, Italy - NY pizza has nothing on that place). Food just has to be prepared in the right fashion, with complimentary flavors and I'll enjoy it. & Cheese! I could live off cheese...until my heart gives out anyway. If I set out to have a nice meal, I like to share plates with whomever joins me, so I can try more on the menu; end with two desserts, coffee and cognac. Eating is essential to life and eating well, is essential to my life.

What is your price range?
18) My price range is generally $400- for small pieces around 5" x 5" to 8" x 8" to around $8,000- for larger pieces around 4' to 6'. Most of my work resides between $1,800- and $4,500- for midsize pieces around 2' to 3 1/2'. Larger pieces which I still have in my collection from 2000 to 2003 are around $12,000 to $15,000. These particular pieces have always been higher because they have been cornerstones in my development as an artist and stand to be some of my best work (in my opinion).

Being an artists is hard sometimes. Are you currently secure in your work or do you still question yourself from time to time like the rest of us?
19) I am secure in the fact that I work and will continue to work. Though I wouldn't go so far as to use the word, insecure, I constantly question what I paint. Not so much why, but what. I hold high expectations for myself as an artist and feel like I may never feel like I am on track. Track, meaning actually creating work that makes even the slightest bit of difference in the world or to the person who views it. I can preach about the duty I have to use my gift to create positive change or energy in society, which is what it truly wish to do, but I can't honestly say that I'm doing that. I know, in my heart, that I need to create for me and that's selfish, but my intentions on putting it in front of people, are sound. If an image I paint can inspire another person to create possitivity amongst fellow humans by using their gifts, then that's a start. & I believe many of us are equipped with tools to help one another realize our internal capacity to spread some beauty throughout the world.

1. Describe yourself. Your work.
I live in SF with my wife and three kids. I make tattoos at primal urge studios.

2. What is an average day for you like? First you wake up.....
around 7:30. I then either hang out with my kids or walk my dog, try to get in some exercise. Grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast. I start tattooing at 10 a.m. therefore I aim to get to work around 9 a.m. I tattoo until 6 or 7 with a lunch break where I eat with my family. We all have dinner and then squeeze in some wrestling and good play time. We get them in bed and I walk the dog again. Afterwards I work on drawing or painting. Maybe take in a movie. I've been getting better about having personal time and not being a total freak all the time. Sometimes I work too much and I end up missing the point of being alive. I'm trying to spend more time living life and interacting with my kids and wife and less time wasted on occupational obsessions.
There was a time when I totally ignored them in order to work more...I didn't even realized I was doing it. My oldest son just turned 9 and I realized that the whole time he has been alive I've been working...pretty stupid. I now spend more time being Dad...but I still probably work too much...it's hard to balance.

3. How old were you when you got your first tattoo? What was it?

I was 17. It was a dragon on my arm, it's been laser removed and is ready to be covered.

4. How old were you when you gave your first tattoo? What was it?

I did some fancy needle and thread type hand poked tats on these kids when I was 15...x's on their hands!!! When I was 17, I used some tattoo equipment at this shop I hung around at, while the tattooer was gone for the night...I kinda stole his shit for the night I guess. I left him 10 bucks for using his gear. I did a tribal tattoo on this kid's arm. I think he was 16. It was a nightmare.

5. Who are some of your mentors? People, places, music and other artists that inspire you?
I have had a lot of help from a lot of people, mainly people I've worked with. Tim Beidron opened my eyes to many new ideas. Adam Barton, Adrian Lee, and Jason Kundell are a few of the many people who have influenced me. My current work situation is pretty much perfect.
Everyone is exceptionally gifted and willing to critique, so definitely the crew I work with now is made up of mentors. Of course I am also inspired by traveling, different cultures have always impressed me. I have lived in a few different states and I think that helps me a lot too. It has been ten years of new beginnings almost every year which makes it almost impossible to grow stale. As far as artists outside of the tattoo medium, off the top of my head...Jenny Saville, Jerome Whitkin, James Jean, Doze Green. Stanislav Szukalski would have to be number one in my book right now but again, there are so many.

7. When did you begin to develop your unique style?
I thought that style was very important when I started tattooing.
After a while I realized that I need some structure first. Now I am concentrating on learning my own style again. I am still learning some very fundamental structures. Grime helps me a lot with that stuff.
Style is a hard one because at the end of the day, with tattooing, style doesn't shine in comparison to satisfying the client. Everyone needs something particular to fit them and if your "style" doesn't fit that situation you better learn to adapt or pass on the job. I am far more concerned with learning many different styles than I am with one particular style.


8. I read the interview you did with Prick Magazine. I was especially interested in the response you gave for the "'artists' ruining tattooing". Could you elaborate on this?

I had to go back and reread that to remember what I said. Bill was talking about this guy we know that thinks "artists" ruin the tattoo world. Basically this guy thinks that all us "young art fags" are ruining the hard assed tattoo world. I understand where he was coming from. Tattooers are not an exceptionally tough breed anymore but I don't think that this comes from knowing how to draw. There are plenty of crazy gangsters that can draw their asses off. I was using heavy sarcasm in that article. I think it's ridiculous to say that "artists"
have ruined tattooing by being soft. Nothing can ruin tattooing's edge no matter how mainstream or televised it gets...nothing has the gnarly impact of a tattoo. If anything is damaging to the tattoo industry it would be laziness. Too many tattooers spending all their time on internet forums, bars every night, television, too much sleeping and not enough drive...it was sarcasm. I think our conversation read weird.

9. Any new creations on the painting side?
I'm working on my solo exhibit "Immolation" for Troy Denning's Invisible NYC in Manhattan this Oct 20th. Several new pieces to unveil there.

10. What are your mediums?
Oil, watercolor, acrylic, tattoo. I want to learn how to engrave metal...I really need to learn sculpture but I really should get some schooling for that...and some more time. I suppose that's one of those things I will explore when my kids are a bit older and don't need me around as much as they do now. I would guess that sculpture takes some serious time.


11. What are some (or any) concepts involved in your paintings?
Lots of personal stuff. A good amount of attention is placed on sacrifice.

12. I saw the beautiful painting of you by Shawn Barber. Tell me about that experience.
Um, you mean being naked with Shawn? Yep, thats the experience...totally naked hanging out with Shawn. Literally hanging out. He is a fantastic painter. He is starting to work on this huge painting of my kids...I cant wait to see it.

13. So you are quite the nomad. How many different tattoo shops have you worked for? Some of your favorites?
Yeah it is a long list, huh? Let's see I started out at a headshop working with these tweakers, then to K&B, then Psychotic Ink, Instant Gratification, Fate, Stained Skin, Deluxe in Chicago, Newskool Tattoo in San Jose, then the Blue Devil in Tampa, then my studio RedLetter1 in Tampa, and now I'm at Primal Urge in SF. I'm going to do my best to stay here as long as possible. For me personally, this is the ideal situation. These guys are awesome friends and it's a great working environment for me.

14. How did you working for Primal Urge come about?
NORM, Yutaro, and myself threatened Grime with violence until he had no choice but to hire me. Call it a hostile take over.

15. What if any differences are there between Florida's tattoo culture and San Francisco's?
I was actually pretty surprised how open minded my clients in Tampa were. Getting started was a bit slow but once it got rolling everything was great in Tampa. Most of my work was large and fun. There arn't many tattooers doing custom tattoos in Florida so it is somewhat of an easy target. Many of my clients would tell me about how they have been trying to get a sleeve done but no one would even want to do it. The tattooers out there, on average, make a a grip of cash without ever picking up a pencil...and they love it. The studio I opened, RedLetter1 is one of the only strictly custom studios in the state and all of the guys that I worked with were all great tattooers. When I moved to SF I sold most of the studio to a few of the guys that worked with me.


16. What are some of your favorite SF spots?
I love the area just north of the city, about an hour north on the coast...it's so insanely beautiful. I enjoy getting out of the city and spending time in seclusion. I enjoy the quiet but I need the hum of the city on a daily basis. When I was in Chicago I realized that I crave background noise. My life is busy, between tattooing, drawing, painting, studying art, tinkering with machines, traveling, being a friend, father, husband, it's crazy. I feel like I am in battle mode 24/7. The city helps because everyone is running, moving, making, working...battle mode. SF isn't New York but it's a good steady pace.

17. How do you work? Messy? Organized? Lefty? Righty?
Yeah, all of that...depends on my personality that day. I go through fazes where I'm a total slob and then I turn back into this twisted tweaker that needs everything organized and clean...then I turn back into a slob and ruin all that came from the tweaker side. In a jacked up way it's a good form of balance.

18. Favorite bands?
I'm really into the new El-P album, I love Floor, they are the greatest band ever, and then there is Torche, Dove, Iron and Wine, Quicksand, Archers of Loaf, Blackheart Procession, Kylesa, Victor Vaughn, Illogic, Sigur Ros, Dag Nasty, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Leatherface, Stiff Little Fingers, Cat Power, Explosions in the Sky, and.... I'm all over the map again..depends on the day or the time of day.

19. Any shows or exhibitions coming up?
A few...The Letter's First exhibit in Spain with The Seventh Letter Crew this July, Skin Vandals in San Jose in Oct at Anno Domini, a group show in London in Oct, my solo show "Immolation" in NYC at Invisible NYC, opens Oct 20th and then I have a show "Phil Holt vs.
NORM" at the Minna Dresden Gallery in SF March 2008.

1. How would you describe yourself? Your work?
I'm tall, white, middle-class, and have the beginnings of a beer-belly
but I don't drink beer. My work is a mix of styles that I've
experimented with from birth.


2. Elaborate on some of your concepts. How would you classify your style?
I'm trying to visually represent faith in a telestial world. A mixture.

3. When did you begin to develop your unique style?
I'm not quite sure if I have a unique style yet. I've gone through periods where I copied other's styles. From 16-18 yrs old I copied Salvador Dali. From 18-20, I copied my friends who did graffiti. From 22-24 I became an abstract expressionist. From 25-26 I was a conceptual artist. And from 27 to now, I've delved back into my first love, drawing.

4. What are your mediums?
Mostly drawing materials. But for my most recent show I did a little
ceramic work for installations, and some wall collage.

5. The pen and ink drawings in your pieces are realistic and exact. The
colored areas are almost childlike. Could you elaborate on this?
One thing is that I love to draw in multiple ways and make them
interact with each other. Conceptually they work together as belief and
science.


6. Describe an average day for you. First you wake up...
Take a whiz. Brush my teeth. Shower. Put my contacts in. A little deodorant. Get dressed. Eat some cereal. Pack a lunch. Go to work at a remedial school in San Jose. I teach art & craft time. We do mostly crafts. Sometimes I can teach someone how to draw a sphere or do one-point perspective. Most of the time, they don't have patience for that. I do a lot of praising.

7. What are some things that influence you? Artists, music, events, people, places etc.
I'm going to limit myself to 5 artists out of lots:David Dupuis, Kyle Ranson (his recent show at Adobe Books was amazing!!!), Paul Urich, William Kentridge, and Kyle Field. I'm big into scriptures and their narratives like the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Old and New Testament, Pearl of Great Price, and any other religious narrative I'm not yet familiar with. Church on Sundays always gets my creative juices flowing.

8. Favorite bands?
Half-Handed Cloud, Sufjan Stevens, Castanets, TV on the Radio, My Morning Jacket.

9. When and how do you decide to add color to certain parts of your drawings?
When it needs it I guess.

10. Could you tell us about your "12 video game faces and corresponding
spirits" piece? What do the "splotches" of colors mean or not mean?
The color is a visual representation of the soul, or dark matter.


11. Is there any religious or spiritual influence in your work?
Yep.

12. What do you hope your audience will take away from your work? What if
anything are you trying to tell us?
I'm trying to tell people that being medium specific isn't a waste of time, that beauty is 8 times out of 10 why I go to see art, that God isn't dead, and that art can still hold a teeny tiny place for religious content and it won't shrivel up and die.

13. What is your ideal work environment? Are you an organized or messy
worker? Do you listen to music while you work? Etc.
My ideal working situation is mildly messy, semi-quiet, and people intermittently interrupting me.

14. What are your favorite spots in S.F.
Adobe Books, Cafe Tu Lan, El Farelito's, the walk around the base of the Golden Gate bridge, and the cafe at SFAI.

15. Any exciting exhibitions coming up?
Caitlin Mitchel-Dayton at Paule Anglim during the month of June.
Amanda Lynch, Shay Church, Jim Melchert, and Justin Hoover at the
Garage Biennale and Swarm Gallery on June 30th and through July. I'll
be at Swarm until June 17.

16. What makes you salivate? (Favorite Food)
will eat anything. I love it all. Pizza.

17. Art school?
SFAI. Don't do art school undergrad. Bad idea. Lots O' debt. Debt no good.

18. My favorite piece, after looking at your website, is "Celestial Thrust". Could you tell me about this piece?
The city of Enoch was taken up to heaven when it became too righteous.


19. How do you usually approach commissions?
People really don't commission me. I've done one mural where they told me to copy a piece I had already made. If they give me lots of freedom, I'll do it.

20. What is your price range?
$150 to $8000 (mural size)

21. Being an artist is hard. Are you secure enough in your work or do you
still question yourself from time to time like the rest of us?
I'm still insecure about audience response. I've seen too much bad art in my life to not think every once in a while, "Am I that artist making embarrassing work?" At some point I suppose I will not be making cool art anymore. I hope someone I know and love tells me when it happens. I don't want to wear tight, black leather pants at 55.

1. Tell us a little about what inspires you: people, art, places,
stories, music etc.
My 3 year old daughter, Isabella. She can get
focused in such a beautiful way. I love watching her when she just
gets into something new, like picking up stones at the beach. The way
she decides which stones to pick up, which ones to throw, which
ones to give to mommy. That kind of thing. We gave her 2 goldfish
for her 2nd birthday, and they had babies, so I built her a pond in
the backyard. I love sitting by the pond at the end or start of the
day. I'm also inspired by animals and nature. I used ot be inspired
by living in the city but I'm sorta sick of that lately. Too nosiy,
too dirty. I'd rather sit on my porch and swat flies than hear
someone swearing about their 40 ouncer.

2. Describe an average day for you. First you wake up......
have some coffee about 5:30am, check email. Get my daughter up about
6:30am, give her cereal, get her dressed. Then I get to work about
8-8:30. End about 2-3pm I could work much more. My wife, Sarah,
directs a dance company, so we both need time to work - its tricky
with a kid, but I love the time I get to spend with her anyway.

3. At what point in your career did you begin to develop your unique
style?
I don't know really. It's evolved over the years. It's still
evolving - at least in my mind. Whatever I am working on seems to
morph into the next thing, and so on. Sand sculptures to murals to
puppets to sculpture. Characters to figures, I don't really know who
to explain it.

4. How do you come up with the ideas for your characters? Are they a
reflection of parts of yourself?
I used to draw a lot of people in
bars. I've always focused on faces and expressions. I used to get
character ideas from the colorful people of Cleveland and there are a lot of them. I just try and get an expression out and decide where
to go with the character from there. Things are different now,
though. Right now I am doing a lot of animal costumed characters.
I'm more influenced by my 3 year old now.

5. Explain how you got into doing marionettes and sculptures for film
makers.
They saw my work and asked me to participate. I wish I
could get more jobs like that.

6. Art school?
Just a little. Cleveland Institute of art for
about a week or so (didn't have the money to stay) and a lot of
figure drawing classes here and there.

7. How do you work? Are you organized or messy? Do you listen to
music when you work?
I call it organized but others would call it
messy, I suppose. I'll listen to music, but not as much as i used
to. I like to work on my front porch when the weather lets me.

8. What is our price range for your work?
$800-$1200

9. Does your daughter take an interest in your characters or in your
process?
Yes very much. Sometimes I wonder what she thinks of
them. She seems to get the humor in them, which I love. She'll help
me gesso stuff and I'll give her scrap parts to paint on while I am
painting.

10. What if anything would you like your audience to take away from
your work?
I'd like them to connect with it in some way. For them
think about it when they are not looking at it.


11. What are your mediums?
Epoxy clay, acrylic paint, wire, foil,
tape, wood, hair, glue, found objects of all kinds.

12. Favorite bands?
Red Red meat, Califone, Flaming lips.

13. Any exciting exhibitions or commissions coming up?
I am part of a group show at Strychnin gallery in sept 07and possibly some
others in 08.

14. How do you approach commissions?
Same as my other work unless there are requirements. In that case, I adjust accordingly.

15. Elaborate on your process, please. I start out working on
faces. Most of the time I just get right into it with the clay, but
sometimes I'll sketch some out first. Once I have the faces, then I
decide what do do with them. What type of body, what expression I
want to convey. I'll build that up with wire or whatever else needs
to be used for the armature. Then i figure out how they will be
mounted or what kind of base to build. Once that is done i sculpt
the body. Then i paint. I usually do at least 3 of whatever it is I
am working on. Not 3 copies, but a set of 3 or more of the same
character type. That way I can keep painting form one to the next
and back and forth while others are drying, until they are complete.


16. Being an artist is hard sometimes. Are you secure in your
work or do you question yourself from time to time like the rest of us?
I always seem to question my work the most right after I feel I am
most comfortable with it - kinda like a roller coaster. It always
seems to work that way. I just try to not think so much about where
I am and how good things are when they are good, and the same when things are hard - although it isn't always that easy.

17. Could you name a catalyst in your career?
Kasara Gahnbari

18. What makes you salivate? (Favorite food).
Indian

19. What are some of your favorite spots in your town to go and relax
or think?
By my daughters fish pond - the one I built for her baby goldfish.

20. Do you have any pets?
4cats, 13 goldfish, and a bunch of tadpoles

PlasticGod is the God of Contemporary Pop Art. (Post, post, post modern pop, if you will.) His simply executed heads and figures of pop culture individuals are getting an enormous amount of exposure. He has sold his caricatures to many celebrities such as Seth Green, The Faint, Tim Curry, Lady Sovereign, Ladytron and so many more. PlasticGod has branched out into merchandising. You can find his merchandise on his website: www.plasticgod.com



1. At what point in your life did you begin to develop your style? What inspired you?
AROUND Y2K THE DOT COM BOMB CAME AND BLEW ME UP, BASICALLY TOOK MY
WEBSITE DESIGN JOB AWAY FROM ME AT WARNER BROS IN THE FORM OF A LAY
OFF ALONG WITH 400 OTHER EMPLOYEES.
WHILE ON MY HIATIS, HAD A DREAM ABOUT LEGO PEOPLE FUCKING IN A BATH
TUB THAT MADE ME LAUGH WHEN I WOKE UP. I THEN DECIDED TO PAINT THAT
VISION TO SEE IF I STILL HAD PAINTING SKILLS. I DID, AND PAINTED 4
OTHER PIECES FOR A SHOW AT THE BREWERY ART WALK THAT NEXT YEAR.
BECAUSE THOSE PAINTINGS WERE SO BIG (36X48) I THOUGHT I NEEDED
SOMETHING SMALLER AND MORE AFFORDABLE. SO I CAME UP WITH THESE LITTLE
ROCK STAR HEADS THAT COULD BE DONE CHEAPLY AND EASILY THAT RELATED
SOMEHOW TO THE LEGO PAINTINGS, THUS BEING LEGO LIKE FIGURES. SO WHAT
INSPIRED ME WAS MUSIC, TOYS, EASE, AND ECONOMICS.

2. How do you approach commissions? Do you work from photographs?
YEAH, I WORK FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, MANY IN FACT SO I CAN GET A FEEL FOR
WHAT THE PERSON IS ABOUT IF I DON'T KNOW ALREADY. IF I DON'T KNOW I
MENTALLY MELD A COMBINATION OF PHOTOS TO EQUATE ONE GENERIC FACE.
BASICALLY TAKING ELEMENTS FROM ONE PICTURE AND ANOTHER PICTURE TO MAKE A WHOLE.

3. Describe an average day for you. First you wake up.....
I MAKE A BOWL OF NORMAL CHEERIOS AND POUR HONEY ALL OVER IT REAL SLOW,
WATCH IT SEEP THROUGH THE CURVACIOUS CRACKS, KISSING THE MILK THAT
AWAIT MY LIPS. THE NECTAR OF FLORIDAS FINEST IN ALL OF ITS ORANGE
SPLENDOR PATIENTLY WAITS THE CHASE DOWN MY MASCULINE THROAT SOON
AFTER.
THEN I CHECK MY MYSPACE. THEN MY EMAIL THEN MY OTHER EMAIL, DO SOME
CORRESPONDANCE FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS FOR SETTING UP MEETINGS OR
NEGOTIATING ON DEALS/SHOWS OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
THEN I FUCK OFF, IN THAT REAL PROFESSIONAL WAY LIKE ACTUALLY GOING TO
THE MEETINGS, SENDING STUFF OFF TO CUSTOMERS, SHOPPING FOR SUPPLIES,
STUFF THAT PEOPLE WOULD NORMALLY DO AFTER WORK OR CAN'T DO DURING THE
DAY.
THEN I GO TO REAL WORK LIKE MAKING THE ART WHICH STARTS AT AROUND 11PM
AND LASTS TILL ABOUT 4AM UNLESS THERE'S A PARTY I HAVE TO ATTEND, THEN
IT'S A NO WORK DAY. SLEEEP TILL WHENEVER, WAKE UP AND BACK TO THOSE
CHEERIOS, MMMMM. PRETTY FUCKING BORING, HUH?

4. When did you start to get noticed by the public, especially celebrities? Name a catalyst if you can.
BASICALLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW DID I GAIN FAME, WELL THAT'S SIMPLE
JUST LIKE ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT'S FAMOUS THERE'S USUALLY TWO WAYS TO
GO ABOUT IT. ONE IS TO DO SOMETHING REALLY AMAZING LIKE GET RE-ELECTED
FOR ANOTHER 4 YEARS,J/K... LIKE SAVE A CHILD WHO FELL INFRONT OF AN
ONCOMING SUBWAY IN NEW YORK, POOF INSTANT HERO AND FAME NOT TO MENTION
A HANDSOME REWARD FOR THAT HEROISM, INTERESTING AND WEIRD HAIR CUTS
CAN MAKE A PERSON FAMOUS TOO, I.E. DON KING.
OR ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE WHICH IS MUCH EASIER IS TO DO LIKE BE THE
LEADER OF A HORRIFIC ACT, MAYBE SOMETHING LUDE OR JUST PLAIN STUPID.
THE OTHER WAY TO DO IT IS TO BE UBIQUITOUS ALL THE TIME FOR A LONG
TIME. TAKE SHEPARD FAIRY, HE'S BEEN DOING HIS THING SINCE THE EARLY
90'S THAT'S ALMOST 17 YEARS! HIS STUFF IS EVERYWHERE, INSIDE AND OUT OF
THE STREETS. YOU JUST GOTTA SHOW YOUR STUFF A LOT AND EVERYWHERE AND
PEOPLE WILL START TO RECOGNIZE THE MORE THAT HAPPENS THE MORE ON A
TRACK TO FAME YOU'LL BE.

5. What are some of your favorite movies?
MOVIES, MY FAVORITES ARE MEANT FOR MATURE AUDIENCES, VERY VERY MATURE AUDIENCES. I ALSO LIKE AVANT GUARDE MOVIES, CULT LIKE. LOGANS RUN, THX1138, 8 1/2, 9 1/2 WEEKS, JAMES BOND, AND 80'S JOHN HUGHES MOVIES. SUCH THEMES AS ODD/WEIRD, FUTURISTIC, SEXY, INTELLECTUAL, SMART/CLEVER LIKE WOODY ALLEN, OR PETER SELLERS. LOVE ZOOLANDER, STAR WARS, AND FERRIS BUELERS DAY OFF, I TRY TO LIVE MY LIFE BY THAT MOVIE.

6. Do you feel old school video games have had their influence on you?
NO.

7. How do you work? Organized or messy? Blaring music or silence?
ORGANIZED FOR SURE, EVERYTHING IN IT'S PLACE. I EVEN HAVE TO CLEAN MY
ROOM BEFORE I START TO MAKE DRAWINGS, MY MOMMY TOLD ME.
I USED TO BLARE MY MUSIC BUT YEARS OF DJING SLIGHTLY DIMMED MY ABILITY
TO HEAR SO NOW I KEEP IT MODERATE.

8.Righty or lefty?
SOUTH PAW IN DA HOUSE!

9. What are you mediums?
I'M KNOWN FOR DIGITAL GICLEE ON CANVAS PRINTS BUT UPON FURTHER RESEARCH MY MEDIUMS CAN RANGE FROM PLASTIC TO METAL TO PAPER TO ADHESIVE TO FABRIC, WHATEVER THE PROJECT CALLS FOR.

10. Being an artist is hard sometimes. Do you feel secure at this point with your work or do you still question yourself like the rest of us?
I'M TOTALLY SECURE AT THIS POINT BUT SEEM TO FEEL A LITTLE BORED,
PHOTOGRAPHY WAS SUGGESTED TO ME BY ONE OF MY TEACHERS AT ART CENTER
EVEN THOUGH I WAS A GRAPHIC MAJOR AT THE TIME. I CAN'T DENY THE RUSH
AND THE FEELING OF TAKING PHOTOS BUT AT THE TIME DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
WASN'T STANDARD AS IT IS NOW. BECAUSE OF THAT ADVANCEMENT IT MAKES IT
MORE AFFORDABLE AND A GREATER POSSIBILITY, SO WHO KNOWS, MAYBE
BLASTING MY EARS OUT AND MOVING INTO DJING AGAIN PLAYS A PART IN MY
FUTURE. I DON'T QUESTION IT, WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON, IT'S TIME.
NOTHING GOOD LASTS FOREVER.



11. Pop culture icons and references seem to be a subject of interest for you....could you elaborate?
I HAVE A HUGE INTEREST IN POP CULTURE, IT'S WHAT I KNOW MOST ABOUT ESPECIALLY LIVING IN L.A. IT'S LIKE A DAILY BOWL OF THOSE MOUTH WATERING HONEY DRIPPING SUCCULENT CHEERIOS.

12. What if anything are you trying to express to your audience?
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR.

13. What are some of your favorite spots to kick it in your area? OOOH, MY MIND IS QUITE INVITING WHEN I'M NOT OUT OF IT. I LIKE TO KICK IT AT JESSICA ALBA'S PLACE, SHE'S GOT THIS REALLY COOL PIN BALL MACHINE, THAT'S A BIG FAT LIE... I LIKE MY HOUSE, THAT'S IN MY AREA I BELIEVE. I'D PREFER TO KICK IT IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MY FANS BUT IF THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE ANYWHERE DJ SYRENA IS DJ-ING AT.

14. Do sour skittles make you salivate? If not...what does? ARE WE TALKING FOOD? CAUSE IF WE ARE, A DOLLUP OF HONEY ON SOME NICE ROUND OATS MAKE THOSE GLANDS SWOLLEN AND WET. IF NOT THEN, IT'S GOTTA BE A BRUNETTE WITH SASS AND CHARM OR A SPLENDIDLY DESIGNED WATCH.

15. Tell us a little about your experience with art school. What was your major and what if anything did you take away from it? I WAS A GRAPHICS AND PACKAGING MAJOR AT THE ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN IN PASADENA AND LUCERNE SWITZERLAND BOB.... I'LL TAKE BEE HIVE'S FOR 200.
WHAT I GOT FROM MY EDUCATION AT ACCD IS ,"ITS NOW OR NEVER". EITHER
YOU'RE A FUCK UP OR YOU'RE GONNA GIVE THE BEST YOU CAN WHILE TRYING TO
STAY AWAY FROM INDUSTRIAL DANCE CLUBS AND RAVING. AHHH, THE 90'S
SUBCULTURE, GOOD TIMES.

16. How did your jewelry line come to be? THAT CAME THROUGH MINX, WHICH LICENCED MY IMAGES FOR THEIR COLLECTION, GREAT GIG, COOL PEOPLE.

17. Any interesting exhibitions coming up that we should take note of?
ALL OF THEM, KEEP IN THE KNOW AT WWW.PLASTICGOD.COM
OR ON MYSPACE AT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PLASTICFUCKER

18. What are your price ranges?
GENERALLY $75 FOR INDIVIDUAL HEADS TO $49,000 FOR THE WHOLE COLLECTION
OF 600 HEADS

19. How long does it take you to finish one of your heads? DEPENDS ON THE PERSON. PEOPLE I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH TAKE LONGER, OTHERS TAKE 20 MINUTES. THE LONGEST ONE TOOK 8 HOURS, AND JANET, IT WAS ALL FOR YOU.

20. How much do you really like Warhol? NO COMMENT, TO BE CONTINUED...