How did you get into art?

I have always been into art. Even as a child I loved to escape into my drawings. I didn't get serious until sometime in high school. Then I studied design in college... which has actually influenced my style quite a bit. After many years as a designer, I finally gave into my dream of being an artist and went for it.

How do you get inspiration for the pieces you produce?

Travel helps, especially going to Europe. I love all the old things. I get very inspired by all the elaborate artwork; not just the paintings and sculpture, but also the architecture and ephemera. Usually I will buy a set of old stamps or paper money... nothing expensive, though. It just has to be beautiful. I love old American ephemera, too. Other inspirations would be good sleep and good music.

What has been your best creation to date?

Yikes. Umm... In my opinion:
Strictly digital - the Graphic Artists' Guild's Directory of Illustration #23
Mixed Media - Firecracker: Because We Like You #17

How much do you think hype affects the public perception of what good art is?

I'm not sure. I think it definitely does, but I wouldn't say anybody's popularity is all hype. This is true in any scene, even in pop music. Usually people that are successfully hyped have some refined skill that allows that to happen. But that skill itself, and the valuing of it by our culture, may be taught and hyped. There are plenty of artists whose work I personally am not into, yet they have a huge following. There are artists who I think are totally amazing and they have a very small following. So... I think that very popular artists have gotten a lot of help (hype) along the way. But this doesn't mean they are unskilled. However, the issue of the public perception of art is a bit more complicated.

It seems to me that the public (which includes you and me) is almost entirely shaped by the culture it arises from. So the real questions are: How much of a culture's perception of art is shaped by its own traditions, values, lore, history, etc.? How much is shaped by marketing dollars? How many people actually explore and challenge their own notions of art? And how many people can have their opinions changed by having other people tell them what to like? Sadly, I think most people go with the flow and often don't care about art, so they are easily led, especially if they think that liking or buying something will get them somewhere socially. Marketers know this and use it in every avenue of trade, including the promotion and sale of art.

So yes, hype definitely affects the public perception of art. To what extent, I don't know.

Last CD you bought/downloaded/shoplifted?

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

How did you feel when you realised that art could make you some money?

Really? Who told you that? Could you please send me his/her email address.

It's been a rocky road actually. I've had some really good years and some really bad years. At first I was pretty excited to think I could make a living being creative, but there have been enough slow times that I have learned to keep an emotional lid on my upswings when they come. I just keep pushing forward. I'm in it for the long haul.

Why do so many people spend money on music yet so few buy art?

Because you can listen to music while you do other things. You can't look at art while you are driving a car or writing an email or jogging or cooking dinner. We don't have the time to just sit and look at art. We are always doing something. Music fits into this kind of lifestyle. Art... not as much.

How is your local art scene?

I'm in Los Angeles, so it's pretty awesome.

Describe your ideal day?

Wake up at 9:30, hot shower, eat breakfast, coffee, start working on art (no emails, or nit-picky little business things to take care of), work for two or three hours, get a snack, work for another hour, go to the gym (for my brain mostly, my body is beyond help), lunch, work for another two or three hours, snack, another hour of work, hang out with my wife, eat dinner, go grab a beer at our local spot (two blocks away), come back, watch a movie or hang out on the patio, go to bed by midnight or 1 a.m.

Sex, drugs or rock n roll?

Wife, Alcohol, or Radiohead, The Shins, Jeff Buckley, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pink Floyd, System of a Down, old Iron Maiden, Tool, The Wrens, The Secret Machines, Queens of the Stone Age, The Pogues, PJ Harvey, Palast Orchester, Ozzy, Midnight Oil, Led Zepplin, Jethro Tull, Guns n Roses, Flaming Lips, Gorillaz, ELO, Echobrain, Dio, David Bowie, CocoRosie, Clinic, Camera Obscura, Calexico, Bjork, Autolux, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah,......

Last book you read?

The Kite Runner.

Most treasured possession?

The drafting table my dad built for me as a high school graduation present.

Tell us a secret?

I threw a dirt clod at my neighbor's (Mr. Stehmeyer's) green Pinto when I was five.

Quote us your favourite song lyric?

"What a season to be beautiful without a reason"
-White Stripes

Is there a downside to being so talented?

The uncontrollable throngs outside my door are the biggest problem. I try to greet them everyday from an open window on the second floor. I blow them all a kiss and wave, kind of like the pope. If they don't leave I call the cops. That's when it gets ugly. The cops come, but instead of dispersing the crowd, they help the crowd. Several times they have broken down my door and allowed the entire mass of nervous, excited fans into my apartment. Most of these people are, of course, beautiful women. My wife has an old, Romanian cudgel that she bought on ebay for only $3.75 which she uses to beat most of these floozies back. A few make it past her and try grab me. They aren't wearing any underwear. Then our alarm clock goes off and I wake up. But I only think I'm waking up because it goes off again and I wake up back into the riot situation.

Sometimes, sometimes it tough.

Ask yourself (and answer) a question?

What are you wearing?
Pyjamas and a T-shirt; no underwear.

What's your worst habit?

Procrastination.

Any close encounters with the law?

Not since I was younger. We use to do some crazy things with fireworks which got us in trouble a few times.

What else do you like other than art?

Thinking, surfing, fishing, camping, music, good conversation, science and history documentaries, current events, wine, beer, sushi, hanging out with family and friends.

Any regrets?

I wish I had pursued my art career earlier. I spent too many years as a designer right out of college.

Final thoughts?

What is this strange white light? So bright and warm. Who are all these people? So familiar and friendly. Who is that man with the pitchfork?

Interview - Mr. Burrows 18/05/07