Which artists have most influenced your work, and who are your favorite artists?
Leonardo DaVinci was perhaps the first artist I became fascinated with. H.R. Giger was also a strong early influence in my work and still lives within the spirit of what I do to this day. Studying his paintings back in high school helped me see and understand beauty in a new way. Recently, developing a working relationship with his agent, Leslie Barany, has been a great honor for me.

Describe your creative process. Do you start with images or ideas?
Most often, I have a rough image in my head but usually not on paper. After I come up with a general concept, such as an insect, I then set out to hunt down parts which lend themselves well to the visual concept. This is usually how it works, although sometimes, a part I find (maybe at a flea market, for example), may immediately lend itself to an idea.

What tools do you use in your work?
A small rotary tool (such as a Dremel) is perhaps the tool I use more than anything else. Most of my work is done by hand using low-tech (and very time-consuming) methods like hand-sanding. A drill press is another common tool I use as well as a drum sander and disk sander.

Does inspiration come to you or do you actively seek it? If so, how?
I find inspiration everywhere. Robotics, nature, medical science, antiques, precision engineering, science instruments, films, books, all serve as inspiration in the process among countless other things. I’m never really short on motivation or ideas, just short on time.

When did you begin practicing your art and how did you learn?
I began to make the transition from painting and drawing to 3-Dimensional work during my time at Pratt. While still an illustration major, my instructors were very supportive of this switch. They saw no reason why sculpture couldn’t serve to illustrate an idea. Most of what I now know I learned the hard way, through experience. In addition, working in the prosthetics field for 15 years, has helped me become proficient with many tools I did not previously have access to.

Is there one piece that is special to you, or that you particularly enjoyed creating?
Yes, the Steam Insect. Although they are all quite special to me in some way.

The biography on your website explains that you worked in the prosthetics field after graduating from Pratt. Did your experience with sculpture come into play in creating artificial limbs, or was it prosthetics that led you to sculpture?
My love for creating sculpture came first. Working in the field of prosthetics has given me a unique opportunity to be continually inspired by the merger of the organic and the mechanical. A strong theme in my work.

Your sculptures look as though they will spring to life with an electric current. Does your knowledge of prosthetics extend into robotics?
Yes, I love robotics and continue to find inspiration from the world of robotics. I probably spend more time looking at robots and machines than paintings.

With “Steam Powered Insect” and “Articulated Antique Singer Insect”, you depict old technology in a futuristic way. How did you approach the challenge of creating these pieces?
It grew from a natural love for antiquities. Hunting places like flea markets helped me develop an appreciation for these artifacts while wanting to capture their appeal in my own work. The toughest part is finding the right part and knowing how not to destroy the character it presents to you.

What artists interest you and who are you influenced by?
I have always been fascinated by artists that bring something new and true to the table. Warhol, Picasso, Ernst, Dali, Pollock…….these guys weren’t playing games. And when they were…they were straight up about it. They all had something to say. All were very busy pointing the finger at society, saying………”look at us. Look what we have done…….and continue to do. Isn’t this ridiculous? Isn’t this beautiful? Isn’t this grotesque? Isn’t this wonderful?” They were honest. They were honest with themselves and the world around them. They were observers. They were documentaries of their ages. The way that I see these artists and my impression of them is what has influenced me…………………to be true to myself….realize who and what I am, and in turn, let the work reflect that. Also……………….some photographers that have, and do influence me are: Helmut Newton, Ken Marcus, J.K. Potter, Floria Sigismondi, Chad Michael Ward and Ian Wurth……..These people are modern day poets with their cameras!

Your portfolio includes photography, sculpture and painting. Why do these forms of expression appeal to you and which did you study first?
I started sculpting and drawing when I was two. That’s when, I think, I really started looking at things and translating what my impressions were into 2d and 3d renderings. At a very young age I grew a large fascination with the design, mechanics and architecture of the human form. It was like, my working in clay or on paper were nothing more than notes on my observations. I understand……..and it makes more sense to me now about what I was doing then. I was rehearsing for what I would be doing later in life. I always just seemed to live in awe with the idea that one could create something from nothing. “Here’s a lump of clay, or a blank piece of paper………now it’s a person sitting on a chair.”

Painting came later. I think was I was about 10 or 12. I think I have milked the painting thing for everything that’ it worth to me to death. I have really no interest in doing that anymore. Well…….now wait. I say that…………….but that’s not really true. I love the “idea” of painting. I had heard all of these stories about how relaxing and therapeutic that painting can be. I have never experienced that. I have absolutely no idea what people are talking about when they say that. For me………..Painting is an arduous process. It’s exhausting. I would finish a painting…..and my whole body would just ache. Every muscle in my body would be sore. I would stay up for three days straight working on a piece. No rest. No peace of mind. Definitely not therapeutic. Hard………………like coal mining. And for what results? I was never happy with any of my paintings. They all just seem to represent one thing to me…………..compromise. I felt like I was always just “settling” for a lesser image. They were never exactly what I had in my mind. I started photographing my models for my paintings with a Polaroid. Then I discovered digital photography. I was really happy with some of the images I was taking as “photographs”.

That’s when I started to realize that I had something with photography. At that same time…….I was playing around with photo manipulation with Photoshop. Soon after that I discovered that…………..through digital manipulation of all of these photographic elements, I didn’t have to compromise anymore. Now I can illustrate EXACTLY what is in my head. I just keep going until it is accurate to my vision. I love it! However, I won’t discard painting altogether. I am starting to fall in love with the idea of abstract painting. Through that I have found that therapeutic aspect to painting. It’s extraordinarily relaxing to me. Just letting it all flow out like that. Randomly. Totally subconsciously. That’s where my connection for painting now lies. So no one will ever be seeing works from me like they have in the past. Not paintings like the ones that are still, to this day, hanging on my walls in the apartment. I just want to move on. Evolve. Photography is just the final stage in that evolution……….and even THAT is changing. All the time.

The painting was merely a stepping stone to that area that I feel that I truly belong in. The abstract paintings that I speak of………..They will no doubt just replace what I have now. They will just be for my own enjoyment. The Photography, on the other hand, is something I want to just get out there. I want everyone to see. It is the way that I speak now. This is how I say things that I have always wanted to say.

Some of your paintings and photos depict the female nude in frightening or disturbing ways. Why do you combine beauty with darkness?
There is nothing more astoundingly beautiful than the female form. If we look at the thought of God as an artist…………. and that the artist keeps creating until he finally creates that certain something that he feels is the end all, be all of his creative process, and then stops….then we have part of the answer to that question here. God made all of these things-the land, the oceans, the trees, the animals, man…….then woman. The last thing he made was the woman.

Everything that was created contains parts of the previous creation. All leading up to one inescapable conclusion. All parts lead, somehow, to a final……………and then you stop when you feel you have reached the optimum. The last creation was woman. Something that contained all of the beauties and elements of the creations before it. There has been nothing new since then. So I guess the Artist was happy……and then just….stopped….feeling that that was the optimum creation. That it couldn’t get any better than that. This is what “woman” represents to me. I love women. It doesn’t get any better than that. Now to mix that exquisite beauty and architecture with something man made and frightening, or disturbing, as you put it, creates an incredible contrast to me. It is basically my on-going motif of, “this is what we were…this is what we have done to what we were” thing. Light/Dark. Yin/Yang. Positive/Negative. This sort of thing. We love the land…..but we destroy it. We have faith in our religions………….but we bastardize them. We elect our political figures………………..but don’t trust them. We say that we are strong and independent……………..but shoot drugs into our veins and chemicals up our noses. The list goes on and on. We have created a world full of contradictions and contrasts.

I am always rather intrigued by that question and quite surprised to hear it as much as I do. It’s all been made rather standard in the world around us. All I am doing is reflecting those contradictions and contrasts in my work. Using the female form as a standard form for that expression.

Where do you get ideas and inspiration for your imagery?
I go out and drive on the freeways. I go to the grocery store. Walk around out on the street. Watch how people interact with one another. I listen to their truths…..to their lies. I watch them and listen to their stories……………..about how they treat others………..how they treat themselves. I see how we want our world to be……and then see what we do to it. So……………I get my ideas and inspiration for my imagery from the world around us. I just watch and listen.

How is the creative process for creating sculpture different from taking a photo or painting?
It’s no different. I use my eyes. My brain. My hands. All of them are the same. It’s like playing chess……………….always think at least several moves ahead.

What did you do at Gentle Giant Studios, and what were some of your favorite projects there?
I was one of the lead clay sculptors there. I specialized in sculpting the more limited edition collectables and fine art pieces there. I am a big Matrix fan….so I would have to say the Matrix busts that we did. I designed those things from the ground up. I was given a lot of creative freedom, so I would have to say those. I also really enjoyed doing a bronze of one of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. Darkhorse comics has that one available. It turned out really nice. That was great because of the challenge. I saw the painting. I am given only one angle. I had to fill in all the blanks, so to speak, to accomplish it from ALL angles. I really had to tune in to Franks work. I tried to understand how he works, to the best of my abilities. It still had to look like his work from all of the angles that you do NOT see presented in the painting. Wasn’t an easy task…………..But it sure was fun!

You’ve worked on a variety of projects including CD and book covers, ads, fashion and fine art. What kind of projects still get you excited?
Oh that’s easy! The fine art! I am completely on my own. Completely only answerable to myself. If anything goes wrong……I am the only one to blame. No one else stands in the way of the creative process. First off…….I don’t pay my models. They work with me because they want to work with me. They have seen my work and familiarize themselves with it. They want to be part of it. That is the only incentive for them. This way, I know that I have someone involved that is truly committed to the art. They want to be a part of my personal, creative process. Wow! What a compliment that is! That is one of the more rewarding aspects to this whole thing for me. They let me be what I am. They let me do what I do. They let me say what I want say through them. They offer themselves up for that. That brings a great dynamic to the work. You can’t BUY that! It’s something that must be given. They bring a beauty and warmth to some otherwise harsh and disturbing images. There’s that contrast thing again (laughs)! It’s like a dance. We work together. It’s very personal to me. I open myself up to them….and they to me. And out of that union comes some (hopefully) splendid images. The women and men that I work with inspire me to no end. They are, simply put, some of the best things in my life. Now THAT gets me excited!

www.artofronan.com

What tools and techniques do you use to create your art?
I use digital photography as the first step in the process. Then I take the images and bring them into programs like Photoshop and Painter, and many other Art plugins. From there, it is a juggling process until I have achieved the desired result for the Art. The techniques vary from piece to piece, but the overall approach is the same. I try to use my formal art training as much as possible. Painting in the traditional way for me was a long process, and when finished, I was too attached to the piece and never felt like parting with it. Now, with digital, I still work more or less the same way. I start with an idea and a blank file, then I start to build the piece. I focus on the main subject first, then, when I am happy with that, I work on light and color. So, in that respect, the process is the same. I use a lot of Layers to get the desired result, a background in one of my pieces may be made up of 5 or 6 different photographs. Then it is also made up using digital brush stokes on my “GOD designed” Wacom Pad. There really is a God you see, and he is ALL for Artists!

What do you think about the computer as a creative tool, as opposed to a paintbrush or more traditional media?
The computer is hard to mix with water, that was the the first thing I noticed!

Honestly though, I would be lost without my computer. The change over for me was an interesting one. I had studied art most of my life. I moved to digital painting as it was more convenient for me. The computer lets me try variations in my digital work that traditional media does not allow. If half-way though a piece I do not like the colors, I do not have to start again. I just add a color adjustment layer and then carry on. Computers do crash and sometimes take for ever to complete a task and that’s when I miss the traditional route. Maybe in the future I will do more mixed-media work. I love my computer as a creative tool, but the ideas still come from within myself, which is the important thing. At this point in time, digital is best for me, but stay tuned, I may shock everyone and give it all up to get HIGH on turps, and then cut off an ear that does not belong to me!

What artists and photographers are you influenced by, and whom do you enjoy?
I am always finding new and exciting artists and photographers, whose work I like. Some that spring to mind right away, are: Chad Michael Ward, Steve Diet Goedde, Gilles Berquet, Robert Ballagh, Dave McKean, and many many more. Of course, Andy Warhol is a scream. I try to not let them influence me. I want to have my own style, I will continue to work in my own way, and as an artist I want to grow.

Each of the images in your portfolio “A Diversion in Perversion” has an almost ethereal presence, contrary to most sexual imagery. What does an image need to take it from naked photo to erotic artwork?
The most important thing for the image is the presence or the dynamic of it. Form is important. I don’t look to take an erotic image, it’s personal. What’s erotic to me is not necessarily so for some-one else. What I capture is a moment in time, and for Diversion in Perversion, I wanted to take the photographs, and then use the raw images , the ones with presence, and then elaborate on the light and texture to magnify the essence. 3 glasses of wine and the images are done!

The second image in “Dark Work” is especially fascinating, creating the illusion of several different pictures merging to create one image. How did you create this image and what inspired you?
One model, Analyn, has a cherubic quality about her. I asked her to pose for me for an exhibition I was putting together. This picture came about as I had most of the pieces in Dark Works completed, and I wanted an image with a religious undertone. I asked her to pose praying, and then smoking a cigarette, and then kissing another girl. It came together, and it just worked. It’s a fab piece, and I do like it.

You’ve taken some great photos for Skin and Ink Magazine. Do you meet a lot of weird or eccentric people in that line of work?
During my time with Skin and ink, I have had the pleasure of meeting a wide variety of people, all of whom have something different to offer myself as a photographer. They are all individual, and if I was to say that any of them were weird or eccentric, I would first have to point the finger at myself. Imagine that you were walking down the street, minding your own business and a stranger with a mohawk and bondage pants came up to and said “Hi! I noticed that you have tattoos, I am a photographer with Skin and Ink magazine, and was wondering if you had any unusual pets! You see I’m doing a project and am looking for people with bizarre pets.” As you can imagine, I got some strange looks. Some people do not know what to make of ME when I approach them. I must say though that most of the people I have met while working with the magazine, I have kept in contact with. I find them to be down-to-earth people, with, in most cases, interesting lives and great personalities. So in a nutshell, YES! we are all weird and eccentric. I thank them all.

So what’s next in the pipeline for you?
I am currently working on a book called The Tattoo Nation, with Del Weston, and Chris McAlister. It will be a collection of some of my tattoo photos, as well as some of my personal art. It is due to be released very soon, so make sure to go out and grab a copy or two. www.thetattoonation.com

What characteristics do you look for when choosing a model? I look for models that spark something in me. To put it bluntly, I try to choose girls that for the most part, find myself attracted to. I like girls that have unique features, and above all, an attractive face. I like girls with personality that will ooze out of the photos. I like girls that want to ooze on film, girls such as Emily Marilyn. I mesh well with flirty girls. It means they’re comfortable with their sexuality or want attention. Either way, they both look good on film.

Your work was featured in a recently released hardcover book titled “Women by Women”. What differences do you see when you compare erotic photography by men and women? When women look at women, they look at different parts. I would prefer to take a photo of a woman who was bubbling out of her bra seductively. I think a male would chose to just have her topless. For women, the idea of sex is more of a turn on than looking at genitalia.

What drew you to digital photography as opposed to film? Digital is easy, fast, inexpensive and the ultimate in instant gratification. I am in awe of photographers that shoot film, but for me and the way I work, digital is the only way. I shoot large quantities of images in a very short amount of time if I were shooting film I’d be pulling my hair out! I think the quality of digital still has a bit of way to go, but I’m confident that the day will soon come when an affordable digital camera can rival a film camera.

On your website you reveal that you’re working on your first book. What can we expect and when might we see it? Oh dear! I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea what its going to look like. I still haven’t nailed down a common theme.. I’m still choosing images to send to an interested publisher. I’m scared of my book. Truly. My best friend is a reputable writer and has a few books published and every time he publishes a book, the first thing he says is What if this is my last book?. So far I have been unscathed by criticism but to have something in print and be criticized I think that will change things. Its not going to keep me from being published.. but its defiantly helping me procrastinate a bit. To answer your question of when well, I hope to have something out in 2004 and its safe to say that you’ll see some cute girls.

Who are some of your favorite photographers? My favorite photographers right now are Ellen Von UnWerth, Emma Delves-Broughton, Christine Kessler, Ian Vloke-Wurth. These are all photographers that can successfully create the fantasy of the perfect woman.

Do you think the appeal of the female body as a subject is purely sexual, or is there more to it? I think there’s more to it, of course every individual is going to draw something different from a photograph. For some, it could be purely sexual. But if you really think about it, sex is everything. We base our decisions on sexuality, attraction and pleasure. Those things are all one in the same as far as I’m concerned. I feel that a lot of the appeal has to do with the whole mother creator giver of life aspect. Women are beautiful, warm and safe. Anyone can look at a beautiful woman and appreciate her on a number of levels.

So I thought, why not give realism a try? It has a lot of complex coloring to learn and showing the emotions in them will be more challenging. I practiced realism several months but I didn’t like it very much since I love to put a lot of exaggerating ideal beauty in my arts. That was when I decided, being a semi realism artist is a new path I should take.

My favorite artists come from many different styles. I like Heise or Fiemo since I learn a lot of semi realism from them. But I also like Dianae and Bobbie the Jean for their more realism touch. I also still like watching some Manga style artists like Wen-m. His armor designs are a good source of inspiration. There are still a lot of OMG skilled artists that I adore. A novel long writing won’t be enough to mention and describe how much I like their arts.

Describe your creative process. Do you start with images or ideas?
It all starts with feelings first actually. When I hear a sad song that I like for example, I can get sad… When the mood gets sadder and sadder, I need to express my feelings on paintings or other medias (poems or handicrafts). I start to think of a story in my mind, creating a character and finding the right ideas of how I should depict him in my painting later.

When it’s a commission, it’s much less the same process too. I like to get to know with the character’s personality and feelings first. Mostly people will simply say, “I want you to draw my character. He’s (insert appearance description here) and he’s a bad guy, kinda lonely with tragic past.

That’s not enough for me. I will ask tons of questions and interview my client of how could he become such a bad character? What happened with him in the past. I must know the feelings inside the character’s head so that we can talk about what kind of ideas will represent him best to the viewers. I want to draw the right kind of pose, hand gestures, eyes look that the character has.

What tools do you use in your work?
I use Adobe Photoshop 7 software at the moment and I paint with Wacom Intuos 2 tablet. I sketch digitally now.

Does inspiration come to you or do you actively seek it? If so, how?
If it’s a personal art, inspirations can come from lotsa things like songs, movies, pictures… even some real life story some people told me. Something that can touch my heart will make me want to pour it into a painting ASAP. It’s easy to find an inspiration, but not the time to paint them all.

When did you begin practicing your art and how did you learn?
I like drawing ever since I was a toddle. I’ve never had a formal art background study. I graduated from a local Faculty of letters, I majored in English literature. I’ve been learning arts and digital paintings from WIP or old arts of my favorite artists. If I’m lucky, they sometimes provide tutorials too. But mostly I take the time and analyze their works myself… No one can suddenly create an OMG artwork in one night.. There is a long learning process from zero…

Is there one piece that is special to you, or that you particularly enjoyed creating?
Azura is the most special piece to me and will always be. It’s a master piece produced after painting several demons before. It was the piece that took the longest time to paint ever (it took 5 weeks to finish). It was the first contest I joined in DA and I won 3rd place… I’m so happy knowing that my original character art will be printed in the same art book with some great artists who work for a famous TCG in Spain. I’m still waiting for the copy though. ^^; I hope I get it soon.

Which artists have most influenced your work, and who are your favorite artists?
Let’s see, as far as influences, Norman Rockwell, Sam Kieth, Francis Bacon, H.R.Giger–my favorites include Ralph Steadman and Ed Gorey.

Describe your creative process. Do you start with images or ideas?
Usually I’m illustrating a comic or a story, so I use the writing as a basis for what I’m going to draw. I start with an initial sketch, outline with Microns, brush ink the heavy blacks, add detail work/hatching with the Microns again and then use an x-acto knife and/or sandpaper to add more textures. For my full color pieces I then go in with acrylics–no digital work, here, all freehand. For my paintings, lots of times it has to do with listening to music and brainstorming what comes to mind during a particular song. My art is more music influenced than driven by other artists I’ve seen.

What tools do you use in your work?
Microns, Black Magic Ink, x-acto knife, acrylics and sandpaper

Does inspiration come to you or do you actively seek it? If so, how?
As I mentioned before it mainly comes from music, but also from what is in the news, life experiences etc. I mainly try to take two totally different things and combine them, or look at something from another perspective. For example I’m doing a series of WWII paintings where I take vehicles such as a German Stuka and turn it into a creature. I do like reading novels and creating paintings for them as if I were hired to do the work illustrating classics.

When did you begin practicing your art and how did you learn?
I was 4 years old when I went to my mother and told her I was going to be an artist when I grew up–27 years later I’m a pro. I self published my first comic at the age of 15–sold about 3-400 copies and have been published ever since in one form or another. I learned by watching others, looking at the books and comics I read and really tried to understand how they constructed their art. Then in high school, when I got into industrial music, I took a look at my art and said “I wonder what that type of music would look like as a visual art form”–from there I started deconstructing my artwork to make it more gritty, textured, and as far away from the superhero crap that’s being pumped out.

Is there one piece that is special to you, or that you particularly enjoyed creating?
Yeah, “Gretchyn’s Afflictions” is my fav–I have it hung in my studio and will take it out to show rarely. It’s about a woman looking creature that has a body made up of all the things that are evil in this world, religion, prostitution, drugs, war, the ever expanding industrialization of the world etc. She’s got a big pair of tits with swastikas painted on them to represent war, and that usually gets a rise out of people.

Sean Dietrich will be making an appearance at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle May 10th and 11th 2008, and at the San Diego Comic Con in July.

Which photographers do you enjoy, and who influences your work?
I enjoy photographers who shoot on the street or in undefined places. Two photographers who stick out most are Winogrand and Weegee. Both street photographers, they consistently captured the scenes we all miss. Their ability to compose a shot out of the mundane is fuel for my eye. To see things in areas and places that we all look at, but do not SEE, is what these photographers have captured and brought fourth to us..

Where did you learn photography, and what drew you to it?
I learned how to photograph while in high school in New Jersey. I got a manual SLR camera, a Richoh XR-1 and learned how to expose and shoot manually. I immediately enjoyed the scenes I could capture and I found it provided a satisfaction inside of me that nothing else that interested me at the time could. I then would shoot for anyone who needed a photographer—the yearbook, the school newspaper, friends, family, anyone. College was on the horizon, so I decided to major in it at the University of Connecticut art school where I got my BFA in 1994.

Your photos seem to focus somewhat on overlooked or unnoticed aspects of life. What inspires you to take a photograph?
I realized long ago that people like to “read” photographs. We all do it. Look around and see “what’s that there for” or “why is he holding that” or “how did THAT get there.” I look for things like that. People throw a huge variable in the mix. People make lots of faces and gestures, so I like to include them as much as I can, but not in an obvious way. People are simply “earth bound objects” in my images. It is the scene that matters; why all those earthly things are in my lens at this time is my story. Try and figure it out when you look at one—that is the game I am making for the viewer.

One of your images captures a dog with a bag of chips in his mouth urinating on a sidewalk. Where did you take that photo and how did you get the shot?
I’m glad you asked about this image for it is a classic example of the kind of photography I always wanted to do. While in NYC I carry my current camera with me, a Nikon n90s, and I look for scenes as I walk. This was one I saw while walking up 33rd street on the east side. This dog was weaving in and out of people, so I slowed my pace and set up for some shooting. Just him with the chips was funny enough. His owner was following him, but was like a half block away. It is like the two were playing a game… Then, thinking he had some time to spare, the dog propped up his leg and let loose. Classic! I love how the humans around the dog do not even care that there is a huge puddle of nice bright yellow urine below.

Where does digital editing come into play in your work?
I shoot with film, but the computer does play a role. I scan every image I like and correct it for color, and remove all dust and scratches. It is from these digitally edited images that I make all my prints from. I rarely use the negative to make a photo any longer. When I do it will be for a black and white image. There is something about film that digital images cannot compete with—color and fidelity. I can anticipate the look of my images depending on the film I use. I can also use film for certain needs—Fuji for good skin tones and vivid foliage, Kodak for great blues and wonderful snow scenes. Every photographer is different, for each of our eyes see slightly differently, so some may disagree. Film also has a higher fidelity than digital shots. Even with your new 11MP cameras that are out today, they cannot recreate the feel of an image taken from film. There is more depth and the richness of the color depth is just too much for me to abandon film just yet.

You have a background in technology as well as photography. Do you think the future of photography is now permanently attached to the computer or will traditional techniques always thrive?
Try getting a job with any publication now with the camera I use. Digital is the way to go when you need to save money. Digital cameras are used by all newspapers, magazines, paparazzi, etc. Film is “dead” in the mass professional world. However, there are 100’s or even 1000’s of photographers who still use it like digital never came about. I am just speaking of 35mm film here. There are many film formats, but I can only speak for 35mm. I knew that photography would thrive off of the computer, for the computer has replaced the darkroom, even for a traditional photographer like myself. Once my film is developed, the computer is used. This is a technique I accepted without even realizing that I had abandoned the darkroom. Photography is filled with chemicals, especially in the darkroom, so to do the same thing without them is a natural progression. I do believe though, that traditional techniques will never go away fully, and that soon we will see a resurgence in traditional techniques as we are beginning to get saturated with photography and cameras again. Just the other day I saw a commercial by HP “welcome to the new age of photography, you are the photographer and the photo lab”. It will be interesting to watch film die. An over 100 year old tool transplanted by electronics.

What artists do you enjoy and who influences your work?
My particular favourite is Magritte, I hope we may share the same sense of humour. Some of his pictures have actually made me laugh out loud, not always the done thing in a hushed gallery! Of course I like many of the original Surrealists, Ernst, Dali, Delvaux, everyone really. Also I enjoy the work of painters from other periods, like Bosch or Goya, for example and the wonderful technique of the Renaissance guys. I also enjoy the work of many “modern” artists, whether it be technique or ideas, as long as they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Your paintings have a great sense of humor. What role does humor play in your creative process?
Humour plays a very big role. Many of my pictures are the result of hearing odd snatches of conversations which generate an amusing image in my mind. Sometimes I let my mind wander and create “what if” situations, if the resultant image amuses me then I will draw it in my sketch book, to be painted later. Some, of course, are directly from dreams.

Do the images in your paintings reflect specific ideas, or are they chosen for their visual aspect?
Almost all my pictures attempt to represent an idea, a feeling or a different way of looking at things. Some, as I have said before, come directly from dreams, such as “Unidentified Blue Object” and “The Lover”. Very few are painted purely for their graphic qualities, “String” is one exception, it still amuses me.

When you are working on an image, is the completed image in your mind’s eye or does it change on canvas?
The completed image is always formed in my mind long before I start to paint. I may have sketched it in my book as a reminder, but the image stays in my head. Sometimes, particularly with dream images, there is also a feeling about the image which I must try to communicate to the viewer. Whether I am successful in this I am not sure. Sometimes the image will change slightly on canvas entirely due to my inability to paint it properly.

“And the Others had Pepperoni” depicts a grim reaper that isn’t frightening. “Charlotte’s Apple Dumplings” shows the common toilet as a spectacle. Is it the task of art to make people re-examine their world?
Definitely. In fact “examine” would be a good start. Most of us, in our daily lives today, have no time to consider our spiritual or inner self and we become too concerned about time management, materialism,paying the bills and what we perceive as success. I think it’s probably fair to say that most of us are a bit confused as to what really makes us happy. By actually making the effort to examine any aspect of the world we spend time in, I believe we can benefit from the enhanced viewpoint or perspective and start to make more sense of our relationship to it. By providing examples of a different way of looking at things it may encourage others to do the same.

In your bio, you talk about completing paintings that you had started twenty years earlier. Was it strange or difficult to return to work that you had abandoned for so long?
Not really. I have a very good memory and I was able to recall the feeling I had about the images originally. This enabled me to carry on as though I had only stopped yesterday.

What part of the process of painting do you enjoy most?
The thinking bit. I love to let the images form in my mind, often they surprise me and I wonder where they came from. I may rework the image in my mind for days or weeks until I know it will look good on canvas, usually without regard to whether I can actually paint it or not and whether it will challenge the limits of my technique. This forces me to stretch myself and try to paint new things which I have never attempted before. The painting is the painful process of copying the image in my head, and getting it right!

Which artists have most influenced your work, and who are your favorite artists?
A lot of the older traditional fantasy, sci-fi and concept artist inspired me and were among my favorites before the digital painting era really kicked in. Some of these artists include, Keith Parkinson, Michael Whelan, Tony Diterlizzi, Jeff Easley, Brom, Alan Lee, John Howe, Donato Giancola, and Fred Fields. These guys really knew how to capture the essence of mood, detail, character, story telling, color and quality. They still for me stand head above shoulders over even the best digital artist and the experience doesn’t have anything to do with it even though these guys have been in the game much longer. They are still producing some of the best work out there to date.

Some artist who have influence me more recently in the digital art realm are Ryan Church, Erik Tiemens, Jon Foster, Aleksi Briclot, Justin Sweet, J.S. Rossbach, David Levy and a slew of other younger lesser known talents and friends.

What tools do you use in your work?
When I’m just drawing and sketching out ideas I usually just work things out in a sketchbook with a mechanical drawing pencil or some fine point pigment liner pens. Here or there I’ll sketch digitally but I like the more hands on approach and physical texture of a good pencil sketch. My final works are always completed digitally in Photoshop. I use Painter occasionally but right now I’m running Photoshop CS2 and a 9×12 inch Wacom Intuos 2 Tablet.

What drew you to concept art as a profession?
I love Illustration and I love to create worlds, creatures, stories and anything that relates to the imaginary. I love both Illustration and Concept art though in the end I’d say I’m more attracted to the idea of designing concepts for games and films. There are a lot more things involved in quality and composition of Illustrations concerning poses, positioning, lighting and style that don’t always have to be the case in concept art. The two do tend to go hand in hand but they have their differences and the major one being the design process for conceptualizing ideas. That’s what drew me in to concept art as a profession. It’s rewarding to see your Illustration on a book, in a magazine or other publications but I’m more attracted to seeing something I created, designed or played a part in designing come to life in a movie or in a game. Something you can interact with and watch as it lives and breathes.

Which types of projects do you most enjoy working on?
Anything that has to do with creature design, environment design, objects, items and flora or immobile living life forms. It could be an illustration project where I’m just painting designs to be featured in a book or magazine or conceptual designs for games and such. I like to show little working sketches on how the creature or life form might work, the same with an object if it needs to describe an action. Game designs can be a lot of fun because they don’t always have to be refined and rendered down to the smallest detail in order to get the idea across and you can exaggerate things well beyond what would be a more realistic concept for a film.

The worlds you create in your concept art are diverse, from cold metallic sci-fi to ethereal fantasy landscapes. How do you prepare yourself to visually capture these fantastic environments?
I don’t do a whole lot of planning because environments, plants, vestigial life forms and other odd vegetation is much easier to paint that something that is constructed of muscle and bone. Environments just need to stick to a perspective you’ve chosen, and then work out the elements under the positioning of your light source. If you think about it, ice, water, fire, earth, the sky, clouds, leaves, grass and anything else associated with an environment is thrown in your face every day you walk out the door. If you just pay attention when you’re outside that’s enough research and studying for a life time. Don’t get me wrong I do research if I need to portray a time era, buildings, and odd textures.

Many of your illustrations and sketches show alien creatures with strange biology (the feathered insects for instance). Do you study the anatomy of existing animals when designing these creatures?
Yes, anywhere and everywhere I go I’ve always got my mind working, thinking about how things move and the shape of their designs. What the use is for the elements that make up a certain animal and such things like that. If I go to the zoo, it’s to appreciate the animals but it’s also to further my knowledge of what I can’t observe at home, the movement for instance. It’s so much different then sitting at home and watching it on TV. when you see the real size of animals and get that 3-dimensional perspective insight into their living habits. A lot of the concepts I create are largely naturalistic but you’ll find the odd crazy horror creature or alien life form in my portfolio. I try to study the bones and actual joints and muscles as much as time allows and more so when I’m working on a specific design that I don’t quite understand or have as much knowledge about. A lot of times though I’ll put what I know to use and draw these things without the reference unless I’m lost.

In the FAQ on your website, you mention that you used online art communities to learn and get your first job. Which communities do you recommend for learning and networking?
The best art community out there that is the most active, has the most helpful free information and the most active users who are willing to really take the time to show the new kids the ropes is www.conceptart.org by far. I’ve stopped by www.cgtalk.com which is nice and they definitely have a very professional set up over there but it just doesn’t feel like the members are as quick to reply. I like the networking community cgtalk provides but conceptart.org is adding new features all the time and still remains the number one art forum to go to for help, advice and inspiration in my opinion.

There are of course a lot of other art forums out there but they just don’t have enough traffic and members to keep my interest. If there isn’t a lot of traffic then there aren’t going to be as many potential employers checking the place out for artist. You can also check out a young forum by ImagineFX magazine now, www.imaginefx.com which is starting to slowly but surely become a popular place because it’s connected to what is now one of the top art magazines available.

You reveal on your blog that you did some work on Flagship Studios new game Mythos. Do you play the games you work on so you can fight the characters you create?
Of course, what fun would it be to design these creatures and environments if you don’t have the interaction with something you just created? Props to the modelers and animators for knowing how to bring your designs to life. The work I did for Mythos wasn’t directly done for Flagship but rather done through an outsourcing company, nonetheless the creatures and tile set concepts I provided made up a portion of what you see in the game. I’m waiting for Mythos to be complete so I can download it for free and have some fun bashing and trashing the beasties I concepted and exploring some of the levels I played a part in designing.

On your website you describe yourself as a mixed-media artist. What tools do you use to create your images?
Well, I have been many things in my life: a ceramist, a painter, a mixed media artist, and now I use the materials of photography. Many people think that I digitally manipulate the images. The truth is, that while I do tonal corrections and coloring in the computer as well as the outermost borders of the image, 99% of what you see in the image is on the sets that I build. All lines or blurs are exactly that. I create a set with moving objects in it using motors to create the blurs; I then shoot at a very slow shutter speed. I see myself moving into creating moving images very soon, perhaps short art films, but I realize that I need to collaborate with a DP to accomplish this.

Dolls make frequent appearances in your photos, as do nude women. Is there a connection in your mind between the two?
There are connections with everything in my images, but I leave that up to the viewer to decide for themselves what they are.

Are the elements of your photos symbolic or do you choose them exclusively for visual appeal?
All of the elements in the image have meaning. I am a big believer in telling a simple story at first glance; if the viewer chooses to spend some time with the image, it can become a novel.

What artists and photographers do you enjoy?
I am a big fan of all of the symbolists; my main influence in photography however is Irina Ionesco. Contemporaries range from Luis Durante to Joachim Luetke; I also enjoy the work of my friend Matt Lombard among other artists from around the world with whom I have become friends. Actually, I was very impressed by images I saw by Jeffery Scott, whose work you showcased on here.

Your first book, “Fruit of the Secret God” showcases not only your images but also poetry and fiction by three writers. Why did you choose to include the words of others with your images?
I wanted to give the viewer several different ways of interpreting my images. So, I decided to include some poetry by Victoria Rimmerman, who I admire. My next book will have poetry by Cali Ford.

On your website you quote Anais Nin : “ We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” This brings to (my) mind questions about the relationship between artist and viewer. What do these words mean to you and why did you choose that quote?
Everyone always asks me what my images mean. My response is to figure it out for yourself. Though I do have a very specific story to my images, I would not want to limit the viewers’ imagination by telling them what that story is. I believe in making the viewer work a little.