The Brooklyn Rail

What new or old tools are you
attached to in your art practice?

The most useful tool is probably digital media—Photoshop, digital cameras, and advanced editing equipment. I feel sorry for artists that don’t take advantage of these tools. It’s made everything a lot easier/faster. For instance, I used to draw paintings out by hand or make collages and then project them onto the canvas using an opaque projector. But now using Photoshop I can really play with the images. Usually I integrate sections of 10 to 20 different photos into one reference/mockup for a painting. Then I can use a digital projector to blow each piece up to scale—my paintings take up to a year to make, and this way I can try out several ideas before committing to a final piece.

What tools have you rejected?

I never use tricky, gimmicky filters in Photoshop—they look so bad and unreal—but I’m open to anything that will assist me and further my vision. As a teacher I always try to dispel the myth that there is only one way to make art. I’m a firm believer of using whatever tools make you a better artist.

What have the tools
done to your art?

These are great questions. I probably would have been okay with just painting in the studio by myself forever, but fuck it. I wanted to take photos and make videos and I think it’s made me a better artist, the experiences expanded the scope of my work and how I think. Everything I do in photography changes the way I make paintings and videos and vice versa—everything I do in my video work changes the way I paint and take photos.