Describe your style:
American Ironic Vernacular.
What are the name of your Infectious art pieces?
Devils and Lil’ Mort.
Tell us a little bit about the pieces and the inspiration behind them:
I wrote up a blog post about my devil images here. Lil’ Mort was a preliminary drawing for a large painting. The theme of the painting involved the orgasm. The French have a term, “la petite mort,” or “the little death,” to describe the orgasm. Lil’ Mort is the cartoon personification of that phrase.
LA is the land of the automobile and you’ve got a pretty great garage. When you wake up in the morning how do you choose between the wagon, the grocery getter and the hot rod?
Well, the wagon is gone, after a lawyer decided to run a red light in front of me. Most days I drive the hot rod, unless my wife parked behind me in the driveway.
If you had to design your dream car what would it look like?
Already did it. it’s a 1929 Model A Sedan hot rod. It’s in my garage right now.
What car or vehicle would you love to see you art on? Maybe a Unimog?
I’ve been seeing my work plastered on hot rods for ages, maybe it would look nice on a new Bentley. I’ll be seeing it soon on my La Carrera Panamericana race car, a ’63 Chevy II.
Can you tell us a little bit about La Carrera Panamericana race? Do you do it every year?
It’s a seven-day historic rally race that starts in Tuxtla-Gutierrez and ends in Monterrey. There are over a hundred teams competing this year. I raced it for the first time in 2006, and had to skip 2007 due to my accident earlier that year. I’m looking forward to spending three weeks in Mexico, which is a beautiful country filled with amazing people, and competing with a bunch of crazy people who love this race as much as I do. My blog on the 2006 race starts here.
What’s your most treasured possession?
A beat up aluminum cowl from an old front-engine dragster. I got it in a trade, and did some research to track down its origin. I blogged about it here.
Did you go to art school? What spurred you to begin painting seriously?
No art school. I’ve been painting and drawing since I was five years old or so.
What was the defining moment in your childhood when you thought – I want to become an artist when I grow up?
Finding a stack of old paperback collections of MAD magazine.
Can you name three artists whose work you’ve recently seen and loved?
Ingres, Velasquez, and Ed Newt Newton.
What’s the best response and what’s the worst response you’ve ever had from a band after they’ve seen the artwork on a poster you’ve done for them?
I think that the best AND worst response was from Johnny Rotten, who objected to my depiction of him as an old man pushing a wheelbarrow filled with cash.
You once did a poster for the Church of Satan – what was your involvement with them?
I was very lucky to have been good friends with Anton LaVey, the founder and High priest of the Church Of Satan. I made the poster at his request.
We heard that you’ve been doing a little photography lately, shooting on porn sets. Can you share some of the most memorable moments?
People have all kinds of crazy ideas about what goes on during the filming of a porn movie, but it’s just like being on the set of any other movie – BORING. The only difference is that there are more naked people on a porn set. That said, it’s fun to try to document the boredom.
How did you come up with the name for your publishing company, Aperient Press?
My wife came up with the name. An aperient is a laxative. Our books are so good, they make you shit.
If you had to change careers, what would be next?
I’m already a painter, photographer, and amateur race car driver. What else is there? Maybe I could sell snow cones.
Are there any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?
Just working on paintings for my show in LA next year.
6/17/08
