Inguine Web Magazine Rome, Italy (www.inguine.net)

Interviewer: Claudio Parantella

June 2005 

1) Can you tell us something on you…what you want…your background…or what you want…

When I was young I spent all my free time either drawing or exploring the countryside where I grew up in New York State. I now live on a small farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with my wife Donna (a farmer) and our two cats. Nature has always been extremely important and provides most of the inspiration for my paintings. 

2) How would describe your art to someone who could not see it? 

My imagery is painted in a very detailed, highly realistic style using rich colour. Some have described my style as magic realism. I combine the human figure with elements from nature in ways that might be considered surrealistic. I want to emphasize the interactions between humans and the natural world around us. 

3) Where do you get your inspirations?

My inspiration comes from the natural world around me. I’m very interested in how Nature functions, how humans interact with Nature, and how our animal instincts and human consciousness influence our behaviour.  

4) What are your favourite things to draw and why?

My favourites are animals, birds, and the human body. The endless variety of shapes, sizes and colours never get boring. It is a wonderful challenge to depict these living beings in ways that are convincing and believable. 

5) What materials do you use to create your paintings?

I always use oil paint on canvas or linen, and sometimes on wood panels.

6) WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE AND YOU LISTEN…AND IS THE MUSIC IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ART…?

I always listen to music while I work. Classical music accounts for much of it. But I’m embarrassed to admit that a lot of the music I listen to is the same music I listened to 25 years ago like Pink Floyd, Yes, and Jethro Tull. That was an incredibly creative time in my life and listening to that music brings me right back into that place. Radiohead is one of the newer bands that I admire. I also listen to audio books. They are a great way to be exposed to the classics that I otherwise don’t have time to read. 

7) IN THESE DAYS YOU’RE WORKING TO…YOUR CURRENT PROJECTS…

I am in the middle of a project that focuses on birds. Birds have always been an important part of my work and recently I received a grant from the Franz and Virginia Bader Fund (www.baderfund.org) in Washington, DC to investigate bird symbolism. My plan is to create a series of paintings that I can exhibit as a group and to publish a book based on them. 

8) OTHER ARTISTS DO YOU LIKE…?

The Northern Renaissance painters such as Bosch, Bruegel, Memling, Van Eyck have had an enormous effect on me. At the moment I am looking most at Rembrandt. I can now understand why he is considered one of the greatest painters of all time. I’m a big fan of the Symbolist painters like Gustav Moreau, Odilon Redon, and George Watts. British fairy painters like Richard Dadd and John Anster Fitzgerald are inspiring. More recent artists like Balthus, Dali, and Max Ernst are favourites, too. There are many contemporary painters that I admire such as Odd Nerdrum, Lucian Freud and Walton Ford.

9) What do you think about artists using the Internet as a forum for sharing their work?

The internet has been very valuable to me. I have been able to reach many people who otherwise would not have seen my work … like you! Also, I’ve been exposed to the work of many artists that I would not have been able to see if it hadn’t been for the internet.

10) Your next projects…

I’m not sure what I will be doing after I finish my bird project. Right now I’m only focused on that.

11) How long does it normally take you to complete a piece of your artwork?

I never tell how long a painting takes! That is like asking a magician to tell the secret of how the tricks are done.

12) What kind of release do you get from your images and paintings? Are they in some way cathartic?

They are extremely cathartic for me. My paintings are always self-portraits on some level that relate to personal issues I am thinking about or trying to resolve. Painting is psychological, emotional and spiritual therapy. It’s like being in a trance. Also, just the act of painting is very invigorating and restorative.

13) HOW IMPORTANT IS SELF-PROMOTION FOR AN ARTIST NOWDAYS?

Self-promotion is very important. The more self-promotion an artist does, the more successful he is likely to be. That’s why many bad artists who are skilled at self-promotion are able to do well. Then there are those artists who are lucky enough to become very popular early in their careers.

14) DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST DRAWING YOU MADE?

My parents kept the first drawing that I ever made. It was a donkey with five legs. 

15) Do you have many connections in the underground scene?

I am connected to the “real” underground scene --- all the living things that exist under the soil --- worms, insect larvae, and microbes. 

16) Have you shown your artworks in art galleries…and if yes, where?

At the moment I am represented by Klaudia Marr Gallery (www.klaudiamarrgallery.com) in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Trinity Gallery (www.trinitygallery.com) in Atlanta, Georgia. I was exhibiting at Gallery K in Washington, DC until the gallery closed a couple years ago. And I sometimes  exhibit at Gescheidle Gallery (www.gescheidle.com) in Chicago, Illinois.

17) What attracts you more, fame or fortune…sex…drug…or Rock ’n Roll?

I want the sort of fame that draws attention to the messages in my work, not to me personally. Fortune would be wonderful because I could do things with the money that might help other individuals in various ways. Sex, drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll can be very good or very bad depending on how they are used. 

19) Message for the readers from your heart…

Think very deeply about the work that you choose to do. First, it must make you happy. Second, it must not harm other people or the planet. And third, your work must add beauty to the world. How you define “happy”, “harm” and “beauty” is up to you.