I guess it is okay.I’m by no means qualified to comment that much about it but I felt as good about it as any other art scene that I have been involved with.Every place has good and bad in it. Vancouver for me has been a bit better as far as getting things going as there is a nice base of people drawing out here.
What does the term “artist” mean to you?
You don’t have to make a living at making art to be called an “artist”.Artist is a blanket term allot of different creative pursuits.I hesitate calling myself an artist most of the time, as it feels really pretentious to my ears and when people here that term it could create a bias of who I am.
What influenced you to work with skateboard companies?
I love skateboarding but was never good enough to get sponsored and I wanted to be part of the scene in someway. Drawing and graphics seemed like my best way to take part but on another level.
What companies or projects have you worked on in the past?
I’ve done work for a bunch of companies.Most notably Toy Machine, Element Skateboards, RVCA and Fourstar Clothing.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Just drawing everyday pushes me in new directions.I will get tired or bored with what I’m drawing and just need to find new ideas and images to play around with.Sometimes what I see in city life will make it onto paper and maybe canvas.Humor plays a part in my work.Inspiration comes from so many sources there isn’t one magical place that I find inspiration. It’s everything I see, hear and experience.
What are your favorite art materials to work with?
Pencil, pen and paper.
What is your favorite product to work on?
I really like designing skateboard graphics.I like that these days you can put anything on a skateboard.I can do a painting and put that on a board or create something on the computer and that works equally as well.Allot of my imagery is based on the figure and that lends to the long narrow constraints of a skateboard.
Define MONIER?
A “Monier” is a funny idea that my girlfriend at the time and I came up with. I can’t remember what sparked the initial idea but I did a drawing of a creature that had the front end of a dog and a back end of a bear.It had me giggling for most of the day I would just look at the drawing and laugh.So the term “monier” is a combination of out two last names because Tiffany came up with the idea and I did the drawing.
The “monier” came into it’s own when Craig Metzger asked Tiffany and I to contribute to Arkitip in a section titled “Friendmakers” We needed an idea we could both work on and the half dog half bear image was still pretty fresh in our minds so we fleshed out the definition of this creature and presented it to the world in the pages of the magazine.
You released a book called “Things I Don’t Remember”, where can we all get a copy?
I wish I had answer for that question; the distribution is a bit spotty. Try a google search.
What are your goals for your art?
I just hope to continue getting more comfortable with painting and drawing. I hope to always be open to new ideas and new ways of trying to communicate my imagery.I had my first solo show this year in Australia so I hope I can keep doing that and also being able to travel with my art has always been a goal.
Where do you get your inspiration?
