Nocturne Magazine Interview - 1/2005)
(Originally published by Nocturne Magazine)
  1. How would you describe yourself?
    Hmm, ya always hard to really clarify but I'd have to say passively aggressive, Imagitively-cursed, insightfully observant, detached, goofy, calculating, driven... and subtlety insane in a co-existing frenetic kind of way.

  2. What motivates you?.
    A great film, new ideas, intriguing concepts, new directions, ..... though really these days I spend alot of time film-watching. So if I discover a film I hadn't seen before or even a new film that is done right it really sort of sets a tone that I try to absorb into my work. It's always nice to find a new art source or artist that I haven't seen before that inspires a different direction to take..

  3. Where are you based?
    Right now, I live in Colorado Springs, CO.

  4. When did the creation of art begin for you?
    I've been at it since I was a child, but it was later that I took it more serious. I think when I figured I could make art, keep it creepy and find a place for it in this world was the turning stone and motivating factor to continue on this path. It really wasn't like i set out and planned it like this all my life, I just had a epiphany that sort of fueled itself.

  5. Which of your artworks in your possession is the oldest one, and how old were you when you completed it?
    hmm, not real sure as I have somewhere doodles of weird drawings I would create as a kid but I've moved so much that either they get lost or boxed up or forgotten. But I think there is some art class stuff from pre-school somewhere around the house. Even back then I had this fascination with creating creepy little pictures, so the progression mad kind of sense.

  6. Please name your greatest fears, and do they manifest in your work?
    Yes, that one's a paradox for me. As things I fear don't really motivate me or interest me. Nightmares though tend to be exciting, As their warped nature and ethereal way of presenting themselves to the mind are what I strive to capture. So what may seem fearful or nightmarish to others are creatively intriguing to me. For instance, I have a fear of rats, so I never bring them into my work. I have no desire to illustrate them unless a commission calls for that need. So my work isn't really a release of fears but a capture of fantastical creations. The surreal can be quite disturbing but also fascinating at the same time. Perhaps subliminally there is this connection with past nightmares and what I create, hard to tell as I don't remember my dreams that well.
  7. Do you have many works that you have never shown?
    I have most of my stuff for show in my on-line galleries. Things that aren't shown were either never completed or were thrown out due to unsatisfying results. Other stuff that would qualify consist of early college art class stuff, That really isn't my style these days though but more of rudimentary lessons... Sometimes I will start on what "seemed" like a good idea but ended going no-where so it gets archived as "unfinished". I do though have a complete 177 page book of collages I completed in the interest of publishing some day that isn't shown on my site. This is due to my decision that the piece as a whole is in fact a single expression to be experienced at one time, rather than the pieces separate by theme selves. So I've been holding off on that to present it in the form it was meant to be seen. Some art I believe is better being experienced rather than dissected or isolated into pieces. This is also the purpose for motion art as well. A continuous short expression of time constructed with many smaller elements
  8. With your interest in horror, which writers have most profoundly appealed to you, and in what ways?
    Well that's a hard one seeing that I've had the privilege of illustrating covers for so many great authors. Which like art, they are all good in different ways. But really for me my inspiration comes more from film-makers. Visionaries that I can see rather than read. Fav's of mine are Oliver Stone, Kubrick, Coppola, Lynch, Cronenberg, Fincher, Carpenter... I have a amazing film collection that exceeds some peoples book libraries. I tend to be a slow reader and lose patience, so instead I try to watch a film or 2 a day. That's where alot of my energy comes from. I get more condensed versions that I can consume thru movie watching and still appreciate the various talents that comprise the whole..

  9. Have you read a book and thought, ‘I'd love to illustrate this’?
    Not that I can think of at the moment.

  10. How important is digital photography and digital manipulation to your work?
    It is very important as my work is a combination of that and the traditional stuff. Digital photography just allows me to get images taken quicker and cheaper, and allows me to build archives of materials for reference or use. Digital manipulation lets my compositions more fully materialize into the look and feel I'm seeking. It also is great for advanced color correction which sometimes I'm real picky about.Lastly it has allows easy, fast and sufficient means of transport over email, FTP, DVD's and Cd's to the appropriate clients in a timely manner which is very important in the delivery of my materials.
  1. Do you work in silence or listen to music while you work?
    Both, depending on the mood. Sometimes, I really need quiet concentration time. While other times the music helps break the silence and set a relaxed working tone. In short though if I start becoming drowsy or tired I usually have to call it a night as my creativity starts to wander. Though I've always found music to be an extreme importance in my life and my creativity.

  2. Have you considered releasing a collection of your work in the form of a book?
    Yes absolutely. I actually have a book complete that i finished a few years ago complete from front to back. Though the issue seems to lie more with flaky publishers who one day are talking contracts and the next are no where to be found. So go figure... I have enough pieces now to release 3 books but it'd be nice to get a least one on the market first. I figure when then time is right it'll find its way into the market. I wish publishing was as easy as putting together a DVD but it comes down to getting the right funding so that it can be done right. A novel is much easier because after the cover its all just text which is easier for most publishers to take on. where as my books are full color all throughout and need a much higher print quality and budget to take under consideration.

  3. Name the artists that you most admire.?
    Well besides the film-makers I named, Currently I find alot of inspiration in the works of Marshall Arisman, Miran Kim, Russell mills, Bacon, Jan Svankmajer, and Robert Rauschenberg. Though these are names I've mentioned often, the inspirational have a way of finding there way into our lives.... Sometimes, it may be that unknown artist no ones ever heard of that you just happen to catch there work as your walking thru the local art and crafts fair. Sometimes an artists entire collection may leave little to desire except for that one piece that had a certain magic about it that words cant describe. That's the kind of inspiration I look for. Those magic moments caught in time. I am most drawn to collagists and artist with highly imagitive dream qualities in there work. I love going to modern art museums whenever I can because I find so much expression in varying ways from the variety of artists compositions. When I lived in Northern CA, I would often visit the SFMOMA for new inspirations. Pieces from Anselm Kiefer, Jim Dine, and early Robert Rauschenberg to see in full scale were quite brilliant. In regards to motion imagery, Kyle Cooper is a true inspiration as well as organizations such as Yu+CO, Belief, and Picture Mill.

  4. Has the art market changed in the last five years? If so, has it changed for the better or worse?
    Hmm, well there 2 kinds of markets. The illustrators, media-related market and the traditional art-show gallery market. The art show gallery market I have little experience in, though that will most likely change. So I cant fully comment on that one. The illustrator/artist/ media market has grown and flourished in the digital age. Art is alot more portable, marketable and viewable with this market. A piece can be proofed as quick and easy as a simple email. A concept and direction can be relayed much easier. Though I still think certain portals are more flooded these days, that is the downfall and hurts the market a bit, you have to see thru it and believe in what your doing. Your going to lose a few old commissions to the fly by nights who will sell there warez for $50 but hopefully quality will prevail and hold higher standards. so in short there's pro's and cons. One thing to keep in mind is that the consumers and general public are much more tuned into Internet , television, DVd and film these days....and all that is growing with a constant need for artistic content in the visual aspect.... even Cell phones have wall papers now. So there is the artists calling card. I generally believe in a progression happening rather than a regression. Work fluctuates, but the nice part is there "is" work. visual presentation has become extremely important to modern age.

  5. Do you spend much time watching films, and do they influence your work at all?
    (See previous answers)

  6. In your opinion, can painting and drawing be learned, or is an artist born with their talents?
    I think certain instincts, one can be born with just like music and singing can be passed down in generations of families, but ultimately the skills needed can be learned. This like anything comes with practice and passion. The talent that comes from within is the sense of imagination, the ideas and general perspective way of looking at things. Alot of people I know or have known are very talented skill-wise but lack that imagitive element that generates interesting ideas. It's really a bit of this and the other that formulates interesting work. Also we are all a product of what we take in and our environment, so everyone has their own mixture of that. Though too much schooling sometimes produces artists whose perfections actually translate into art that is quite boring and redundant. I like the loose sloppy artists with a bit of calculated carelessness.
  7. Tell me about your motion graphic imagery.
    Motion imagery basically is turning illustrations, text, film, photography, art and sound into animated presentations. Usually they are shorter pieces due to there hyper-kinetic fast moving nature. But in a short time frame they are an explosion of ideas. Instead of absorbing a single image as in an art piece, that art is experienced over a period of time in motion imagery. Film titles are a good example these days. But it can be a very cinematic experience that dazzles as well. I've just completed and authored my first DVD demo which took months of preparation , planning and constructing...mostly in the motion pieces. But its an art form in itself that you can click on the TV and watch which makes it nice. Film-makers have used methods and approaches for several decades that contributes to this style, the only difference being the digital factor that enables deeper transitional values and unique ways of presenting it. At current, I am finding myself moving more in the direction of pursuing motion graphics in my future works...I'm hoping it to lead to more integration into aspects of film-making. I'm not ready to call myself a film maker, but I would like to contribute to aspects of it thru this form of medium. It probably best defined as short bursts of eye candy.

  8. Do you have any plans to illustrate comics?
    Not at present with the exception of covers. Really comic-making is not my area, so I don't pretend that I could do it successful. I admire comic artists and there discipline to composition and perspectives. That is just something better left to those who have mastered that approach to art.

  9. How about writing. Have you spent any time writing short stories?.
    None at all, again just not my area..

  10. You are a musician as well. Please tell us what you're up to musically.
    Yes, I really haven't mentioned this much in interviews, but I was professional musician of 25 years before any art making occurred. At that time I had written hundreds of songs and was poised in search of a major record deal. I had written more in the commercial rock vein of Whitesnake and Van halen and had spent many years playing lead. Though somewhere along the line I decided to change focus, which became what it is now. I'm not pursuing musical avenues at the moment to focus my energy on the illustrations. I just believe one can take on too much and lose conviction in the process. so I'm trying to take on only what I can chew. I think when the opportunity presents itself again for something musical my old hat will find its way back on, but for now I'm enjoying the media and genre's I'm working in.

  11. Which projects are you currently working on?
    Well as mentioned before the motion graphics and DVD was one long-time goal that I had just completed, The next step would be to seek work in title design and related with notable companies of that industry. In the works, I'm still collaborating on a TV show to demo and hopefully pilot called BMBTV. I've also contributed much to that in the motion area. I recently received new interest from an outside source in re-writing and getting my film "Eyes of Chaos" into motion, though nothing I can talk about at the moment on that. Other projects include more book and CD cover work I've been commissioned for in 2005. Beyond that the projects and opportunities seem to be changing all the time, so we'll see
  12. What is the best piece of advice given to you, and by whom?
    I'm not sure who said it, but basically to stay true to yourself. Let your passions guide you and the rest will follow. This has been true in my case as I started with no real expectations besides the desire to create creep things, and have found a world of opportunity that has revealed itself. So I'm thankful for that. I probably have gotten some of my best advice from movie quotes so one that comes to mind is from "15 Minutes" (with Robert Deniro) which is...."Sometimes you try too hard. Sometimes you have to go away to comeback."- Thanx for listening.