Describe your style in one sentence:
I’ll do you one better, I’ll use one word, compulsive.
Can you share a little bit about the pieces and how you conceived them:
Into the Deep: the image with the submarine is inspired by the movie The Abyss. It represents to me that so much of life is hard to see and obscured, so we have to find ways to illuminate the path.
Pretty Bird: is inspired by the movie Citizen Kane (much of my illustration work I do is influenced by movies). In the movie, Charles Foster Kane is building a world around himself that is so cold and unwelcoming. He looks to a snow-globe that reminds him of a better place, when he was a kid and things were simple. This illustration reverses that concept.
A Spaceboy Retrospective: is about my love for space exploration. The space program once united our country toward a single goal, now it’s survival is seriously in question.The best I could do as a kid was to scrounge up a makeshift spaceman suit and salute thin air. I still do that when I am alone in my room!
Why did you call your website Tragic Sunshine?
Because I feel the content of my work has a dual nature. Some of it is melancholy, even dark, while others walk the shiny side of life.
Who or what are your creative influences?
The top creative influences of mine are comic artists Chris Ware and Winsor McCay. Movies, vintage illustrations, music, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Harry Houdini also influence me.
What was the defining moment in your childhood when you thought – I want to become an artist when I grow up?
I don’t think I ever thought I wanted to be an artist as a kid. Certainly I showed an ability to draw all throughout my youth, but the decision didn’t become solid until college. As a kid, I had serious dreams to be a Ghostbuster.
What’s the first picture you can remember drawing as a child?
I drew a picture of my favorite teddy bear, Goody. I think I was four or five.
What’s your process in creating a piece of art? What tools do you use?
I spend more time thinking about the piece than actually drawing it. I mull it over while I am driving, on a date, at Trader Joe’s. When something sticks, I rough out a quick sketch in my sketchbook and usually just go straight to finish after that. Feel free to go to my process thread on my blog and look for yourself!
If your art was music, what would it sound like?
Some of my art would sound like Modest Mouse. Highs and lows, fast and slow, the antithesis of monotony. The rest of my art would sound like a certain kind of eighties music, such as Depeche Mode’s “Just can’t Get Enough”. It sounds fun and warm, but with tinges of seriousness.
What music is rotating on your iPod?
Here’s my sweet mix tape for Infectious.This music rotates on my iPod like a low orbit satellite around the Earth. If you plan to listen to this mix-tape, make sure you listen to the songs in the order shown to get the full effect!
Kissing the Lipless- The Shins
Nothing Better- The Postal Service
The Biggest Lie- Elliott Smith
Edit the Sad Parts- Modest Mouse
Comes and Goes- Les Savy Fav
Ghost- Neutral Milk Hotel
Tired of Sex- Weezer
Car- Built To Spill
Elevate Me Later- Pavement
Beautiful Dreamer- Mates Of State
The Engine Driver- The Decemberists
Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl- Broken Social Scene
A Lack Of Color- Death Cab For Cutie
Upward Over the Mountain- Iron & Wine
What things have you seen recently that are going to inspire a piece of art?
The movie Synecdoche, written and directed by Charlie Kaufman and starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman has been the most recent inspiration, especially as surge for me to resume my comic books.
What’s the most unusual canvas you’ve painted on?
In high school, girls asked me to draw on them with sharpie markers. I drew on arms, legs, backs, stomachs, and that’s where I’ll stop. Next question.
Where’s the most unusual place you’ve exhibited your art?
Please refer to the previous question’s answer.
What is your favorite color?
I use yellow in almost everything.
Could you share three unique things in your work space that inspire you?
Home has too many distractions and I prefer working on art at Starbucks. Good table, good lighting, endless coffee. I would suppose the only thing there that inspires me is the coffee.
Who are three artists whose work you admire?
I’ll limit it to other rock poster artists I admire, to slim down the hundreds of candidates. I admire Jay Ryan, Spike Press and Methane Studios.
What art do you have on your walls?
I have lots of my own work on the walls so that members of the opposite sex will revere me and members of the same sex will submit to me as their alpha male. The only other rock poster I have on my wall is Jay Ryan’s Decemberists poster.
Can you describe your computer?
My computer is an iMac, 17-inch monitor. My desktop wallpaper is an illustrated newspaper article explaining the Big Bang, when the theory was first popularized.
If you had to design yourself a tattoo what would it be and where?
I would probably design a cool lightning bolt and have it on the underside of my right forearm. I love the lightning bolt graphic. A lot.
What are your vices and guilty pleasures?
I love playing horrible pranks on people and popping a cap in many a sudoku puzzles, leaving no space unfilled. My guilty pleasure is that I love the Neverending Story song. The Goonies song is a close second.
Any advice to other artists thinking about submitting artwork out there?
The best thing I can say is that making it in art is a lot like trying to hook up with the opposite sex. To get girls, in theory, one has to look good (strong portfolio), be confident (interviews), be interesting (have original work/ideas), among other things. The most important thing is to put oneself out there (conventions, art shows, self promotion), because it doesn’t matter how good you look, you’ll never get girls if you stay at home all day. This is no joke, I have contemplated this analogy for a long time and it is airtight. In the end, I encourage anyone to use others’ advice as a guideline, not a rule.
Are there any upcoming shows or projects you’d like to share?
I am always working on new band posters. The biggest thing I have going for me right now is that I will be participating in Flatstock 20, the rock poster convention in Austin, TX. If you’d like to stay updated, sign up for my newsletter on my website.
