| When did you know you wanted to be an artist? |
| | I've always drawn as long as I can remember. I started when I was young by copying all the Sunday comics like , Beatle Bailey and Garfield. I didn't really get into art until college though. I was very involved with music and was a music major in school. I became very interested in Patrick Nagel in the late eighties and decided to buy some paint and try to do one on the back of my jean jacket. That was a huge hit and I started doing them for all my friends at school. After graduation I got a job at IBM as a marketing assistant and ended up being taught how to do computer graphics. I did that for a few years (while selling my Nagle jackets to various boutiques in Chicago) and then was hired by a head hunter to be a creative director for an advertising agency. It was then that I decided to move from jean jackets to actual canvas and I began reproducing all sorts of art for people who wanted something they saw by another artist to be in their colors. About twelve years ago I met my wife Alicia, who very quickly talked me out of the corporate world in order to pursue an art career doing my own work. It's taken about ten of those twelve years to develop my style and a following before I really became successful at this art thing. Ultimately it was being discovered by, at the time, the GM of the Allegro Hotel in Chicago which is a hot spot for celebrities and musicians. He chose me to do one of the Cows in Chicago's Cows on Parade Fest and then hooked me up with Rent in New York and Second City for which I did commemorative commission pieces. |
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| What did you do for your cow? |
| | My cow was commissioned by the Hotel Allegro which is a very fun, music oriented hotel so I did a pop art blues theme and called it "Open Mic Night At Clairabelle's" |
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| How did you deal with the transition from the corporate world to pursuing your art full-time? |
| | That wasn't hard to do at all. I always hating wearing suits anyway. My wife Alicia is the one that talked me out of doing the corporate thing about 15 years ago. She said "just paint, I'll support you" Who turns that down?? She is a huge fan of the arts and a writer herself. Much to my parents dismay, I tossed the suits, threw the earring back in and got to painting. I was a music major in college so I fell back on jammin with bands on the weekends and bar tending to get us through. It was tough for a lot of years but has definitely paid off. |
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| Your inventory seems fairly eclectic, where do you find the inspiration for your artwork? |
| | Lately, I've been buying a lot of vintage comic books as they are very visually stimulating and great for new ideas and composition. I'm drawn to bright colors and most importantly, women! Their faces and figures are a huge inspiration in my work. I have always been a huge fan of artists like Kandinsky, Chagall, Picasso, Matisse Warhol and Lichtenstein. I have many styles but keep getting drawn back to the hard edges and bright colors of Pop Art. I also continue to research all the new artists out there and have become friends with quite a few like Carlo Beninati, Romero Britto, Joe Burlini, and Ed Pashke ( who recently passed away). |
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| What tips or suggestions do you have for artists who are just starting to sell their work online? |
| | I love what I do and couldn't imagine ever not painting, so that helps. I think that the new Internet world has become a great way for artists to be seen and sell and I applaud sites like Boundless for allowing artists different options. For the new artists out there I say Never give up. It took me ten years to get where I am but now couldn't be happier. Keep trying to get better as an artist and never stop trying to re-invent yourselves. One of my biggest suggestions is that artists need to realize that it is a very competitive market now and in order to develop a following you need to sacrifice a little. Lower your prices a bit and sell some art. I used to ask my artists that came to my gallery to show what is better, selling 300 plus paintings a year for $300 or selling two for $3000. Most young artists overprice their work before anyone knows who they are and they wonder why they never sell anything. |
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