Akhal-Teke (War Horse), 2012 mixed media on canvas 40 x 50 inches
Some of your recent works like “Sea Lion Woman” struck me as being somewhat different from your past work that was mainly male subject matter. Are you changing direction a bit or is it more of a subject matter change? Yeah, I rarely paint women. Same style, different gender. My work is always evolving, I like to push myself and challenge my comfort zone. In the past few years though, I feel like I’m beginning to hone in on something I’m stylistically content with, but I don’t think I can begin to explain it. When you meet someone new who’s unfamiliar with you and your work, do you have a hard time explaining what you do? Yes, that’s always a ridiculous question. My works give a much better explanation visually, which is why I prefer painting as a means of communicating. In the past I’ve
found it impossible to try and sway someones mind to begin to imagine what my work might look like— it just never works. Sometimes I just say I paint houses if someone asks what I do for a living, hah! How much help does an artist as established as yourself have? In terms of creating fine art, I think that’s a really individual question, but I have an assistant that lives and works in L.A. I don’t like to be bothered when I paint, so having solitude while I work is essential. You’ve got your hands in a whole bunch of projects, does the stress ever get to you? Have you ever wanted to just check out for a couple months? Stress is always trying to get me, but that’s just a symptom of being busy. I now live on some mountain property in the Sierra-Nevada’s north of L.A., so this environ-
“I feel like I’m beginning to hone in on something I’m stylistically content with, but I don’t think I 114
can begin to explain it.”