Tell us a little about yourself; when/how did you begin doing what you do today and where do you reign from?
I
was born and raised in Arizona, moved to the East coast in the early
90's and returned to the West (Marin County/SF Bay area) a year ago.
It's heaven here.
I graduated with a design degree from the Uof A
in Tucson, a great program that focused on concept of style. After
struggling in a few dismal ad agency jobs as an art director I took a job
with the New Times in Phoenix as their Art Director. I thought it
would be temporary but was completely hooked on the ballsy, system
busting, content being generated at the paper. I moved to Miami to art
direct their paper there. After 4 years I began doing illustration as
an extension of my conceptually driven approach to layout. My first
freelance assignment was a lucky break from Rolling Stone. The rest is
history.
Within your body of work, what would you consider to be your
specialty? What are some things as an artist you wish to do more of?
I
don't know if I have a specialty, but my favorite personal works are
always the ones that feel like strong ideas. I think that's what folks
call me for mostly - the ability to distill emotional and of really dry
topics down into singular images.
In the time you've been illustrating, have there been any major
obstacles to overcome in the evolution of your work? Have there been
challenges that were NOT anticipated?
Creative fear was a big one for me. When
I'm super busy and doing multiple pieces and sketches in a day I'm much
happier say than when I have too much time on a project. I tend to
over-think in those circumstances. Fear can paralyze or stimulate. I
wasn't prepared for the ups and downs of loving one's work one day and
despising it the next. There is no creative plateau. You don't win an
award and then suddenly every job is now a piece of cake. In fact, it's
the exact opposite.
Who can you credit as a major artistic influence(s) to your style/kind of work?
John
Heartfield is the single most important influence. His work pulled no
punches and tapped into a vast power. I also looked to Calder for his
amazing work ethic. He believed we were put on this planet to work, and
that we should find pleasure in it.
What are some "non-artistic" sources of inspiration for you, if any?
I spend as much
time as I can outdoors. In Miami it was being underwater, diving, etc.
I'm a big believer in the power of vistas. The outdoors in Northern
California offers an amazing array of vistas.
Are there any new/exciting big projects on the horizon for yourself?
I'm
in the process of doing a couple animated music videos and a graphic
novel. I'm also making an epic trek this year in a far away land (more
to come on this later!).
Lastly, is there a "dream" client/project that you wish to get your hands on someday?
If
I could create a perfect dream project, it wouldn't be about what it
is, but more about what it does. If I could wake up to an urgent call
to do an image for a major world event that in turn became the iconic
image of a major movement in history, that would be pretty dreamy.
Yeah, I'd take a couple of those.