Doodles on doodles on doodles …

Nickname:
Fudge, 'The' Fudge

Birth weight:
6 lbs. 8 oz.

Favorite type of bear:
Spirit bears. They are actually called Kermode bears and a small portion of them are born with a white/ cream color.

Last book you read:
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I must have read it at least 50 times in my life. It is a book I would recommend to any artist or person venturing in any type of creative art. It describes the subject of self sabotage as resistance. Overcoming that resistance is your job as an artist. It's straightforward and has become my art bible, so to speak. I heard about the book from reading an artist interview like this one years ago. I would recommend the audio version because it is short and easy to listen to while your making artwork.

Best joke: Donald Trump

Describe your art in three words:
Illustrative – Modern – Natural

What's a typical day like for you? I wake up late by most standards, around 11 a.m. and go looking for caffeine. I start planning how I'm going to spend the rest of the day and get back to as many emails as I can. The responsibilities really distract me from creating things, so I try and get those out of the way first. Sometimes I have to ignore the to do list and just get my ideas out of me before they go stale. Once I'm prepared, I try and set the environment to facilitate creativity. It's kind of ritualistic, but I don't want to hear alerts on my phone or trip over the previous days work that is left spread across the studio. I listen to tons of music and audio books while I work. When the feeling to create is strong, I will ride that out for as long as I possibly can. It can keep me up all night and all day sometimes, but honestly I welcome it, and take any opportunity I can to push that to the end. Most of time the ideas come to me late in the night once the world is quiet. I'm easily distracted, so I try and compensate that with some solitude.

Is there an underlying theme in your artwork?
Consciousness. In my eyes, they are captured moments of people or animals in varying conscious states. Trying to communicate that can be difficult since it isn't something we experience with the five senses. I want to create a bit of curiosity and mystery for the figures in my art and attempt to bring some kind of real life complexity to them.

Have you ever thought about a sponsorship with Sharpie?
Yeah that would be great! I would love that, but I'm not sure how to make it happen. A paper sponsor would really be awesome too!

What excites you most about sitting down to start on a new art piece?
The possibility that it can go anywhere. Its like a journey and you don't know what will lead to the end result. I love to see things come to life, and oftentimes it begins with a line that has no direction. Its also the feeling of materials and mediums in my hands and all that analog stuff. A lot of the joy is in the process and for me it equals the satisfaction of seeing your idea fully materialized.

What advice do you have for up and coming artists?
I'm no purveyor of knowledge, but from my personal experiences I would have to say: To sustain your inspirations and intentions. Don't let people shake your faith because the reality is they don't know your path or possibilities. In my experience, very few things are handed to you, so be prepared to stand up to your own self-induced challenges. For me it was, and is, important to learn about the other parts of being an artist professionally. The business side of things doesn't come natural to me at all, and only through constant effort in those areas have I been able to sustain myself. If you don't give up and develop a strong work ethic, business sense, and of course getting as close as possible to mastering your art, I believe it is just a matter of time before you are going to get the result that you are hoping for! Maybe even something better than you were able to dream of initially. Better learn balance. Balance is key. – Mr Miyagi The Karate Kid

Shameless plug:
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