Hey William, thanks for talking to us today. Are you currently working on some cool projects now or preparing for a gallery showing?

I have a few gallery exhibitions coming up and I am currently working on a video.  Busy, busy, busy……

I have to say your blankets continue to blow me away! How did this concept fully come about?

The series I am currently working on started as a joke.  I thought it would be funny to jump behind a small piece of fabric and hide myself in mid-air like a magician.  It sounds ridiculous but when I saw the images captured from the first attempt I could not believe it.  It was like the Big Bang going off in my head!  I knew immediately that this idea I stumbled across required further investigation. Since then I have taken the original idea and experimented even further with it.

 

They have an eerie way of capturing the imagination somewhere between friendly ghosts and surrealistic ethereal dance and have been quoted as ”creepy cool” and “oddly lovely”. I want to ask about how the blankets just seems to hold that space in time, but I really don’t want to know the answer, it would spoil it for me. You must find it a bit of a struggle to keep the man behind the curtain a big secret…or is it?

 

This question always comes up.  Basically, some people give me way too much credit.  I’ve heard that I create helium devices that float under the fabric, or that I throw the fabric into the scene and photograph it before it hits the ground, or that I am simply photoshopping the object.  All of these explanations are entertaining but incorrect.  You know how some riddles are so easy that they are difficult?  It’s like that.

 

Your earlier works have a more frantic energy to them, how have you changed from then until now as an artist?

I have a mania for change and I love to experiment with new ideas.  I have never been afraid to fail because I feel that there is no such thing as failure.  You may fail at executing your original idea, but the mistakes you make along the way have beautiful and unpredictable results.  The goal is to learn from these results and go with what works.  This unpredictability is also why I love collaborating with other artists so much.  They do things you would never think of doing, whether it is good or bad.  The goal is to adapt to their changes and work with them by applying your own ideas.  The results can be unbelievable.

What artists have influenced you, and how?

Erwin Wurm has definitely been a big influence to me.  I really like to mix humor and aesthetics.  I really like to laugh and have fun with my work.  I typically shoot with friends and we are cracking up most the time.  The funny thing is that I never officially learned the photographic process.  My college career consisted of painting, drawing, and sculpture classes.  I never took a photography class, but I was always taking photos.  It is as though my photos were just a way for me to quickly record my ideas so that I can revisit them later in another medium.  Somewhere along the way my photographs became the art as opposed to just being a step in the process.

 

What do you do in your spare time? Do you pretty much just eat, sleep, and drink art?

I juggle a full time job and a blossoming art career.  I am constantly thinking about art, looking at art, and making art whenever time permits.

 

You have had numerous exhibitions, what sort of preparations would you recommend for anyone that would like to have an exhibit someday? Easy pezy right?…what’s the worst thing that could go wrong?

One of the difficulties of exhibiting photography is that you have to spend money on prints and frames and then cross your fingers and hope that they will sell.  Pawn shops don’t offer the best deals if you know what I mean?

 

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

It was very difficult at first because I just wanted to make the art and let someone else worry about the business side.  Unfortunately, I have come to find that you must be good at both the creative side and the business side in order to be successful.  I’ve taken good advice from experienced individuals and used it to my advantage.  If you already have your shit together then it makes exhibiting and selling much easier.

 

What’s the best and worst parts of being a working/playing artist?

Having a full-time job is a real bummer, but it provides me with the freedom of not having to worry about how I am going to make rent.

 

So where do you see all of this taking you in the next couple of years?

I would like to shoot my photos on the moon!!

Thanks again and all the best. We look forward to seeing more inspirational work from you. Keep in touch!

 

 

Posted: November 22nd, 2009 under Featured Artists.
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