Section 2:  Influences/Inspiration

Some of your early influences included the likes of Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri but lead in a different direction in art school, was there anyone in particular that seemed to drive your style towards it's definitive technique today?  (v)

I grew up on comics books, but art school was a revelation: the daily commute on the subway in NY, the easy accessibility of galleries and museums, and the friendship of some great artists in school all opened my eyes to the vastness of human creativity. My teachers at the School of Visual Arts, Jim McMullan, Steve Assael, and Thomas Woodruff, were particularly influential on my thought processes and technique.

What was your earliest artistic influence? (vii)

The ephemera in Taiwan was probably my earliest influence... Voltron, trains, packaging art on toys we couldn't afford, and pictures of big tractors in magazines.

Do you feel certain artists influence different aspects of your art? For instance, I think Hokusai was particularly inspiring in his use of blending colours.   (v)

Certainly, Hokusai is also inspiring as a draftsman; I also look at Yoshitoshi and Hiroshige for colour and composition. In general, I'm influenced by many different sources, from Shanghai advertising posters to Russian Constructivist collages.

Who are some artists you admired as a fan? How about now as a pro?  (ix)

In school, I was really into Chris Ware, Dave Cooper, Daniel Clowes, and Charles Burns. I also look at lot of painters like Neo Rauch, Inka Essenhigh, and draftsman like Yoshitoshi and Hokusai.  Henry Darger is a big one, and that leads one to look at Marcel Dzama…the list goes on.

How much time do you spend watching television? Do you read the newspaper? (vii)

I don't own a TV, though I should probably get one to keep my visual acuity up to speed. When I was a kid, I would eat cereal every morning and read the newspaper: a glance at the front page, a perusal of the lingerie ads which were illustrated in ink and marker, and then straight to the comics section. Nowadays, instead of the newspaper, the internet keeps me fairly up to date on things but it can get addictive like cigarettes.

Where do you find your greatest source of inspiration?  (vii)

In suffering. And I redeem myself a little bit every time I paint -- minus a few points when I surf the Internet for "inspiration" instead of going outside.

What other areas do you commonly draw inspiration from? (History, literature, film, music, etc.)  (i)

Life can be one big swipe file.