What is your primary medium?
I have a day job where I do graphic design and then I do painting with spray paint, airbrush and then I just draw a lot. I'm always drawing in my sketchbooks and I do a lot of markers and pens, but I’ve probably dabbled in a lot more than that. I'd say my main focus when I do my art is acrylic and spray paint.
How long have you been doing art?
I think I got introduced to art in my early teens. I was exposed to graffiti and just kind of the whole tag movement. The whole tagging aspect of the graffiti world was just you know tagging your name in these little areas in Texas where I grew up. After that I kind of just picked up on the next step to tagging which is graffiti and the letters and characters and colors and just kind of grew from that.
How long have you been in the Boise area?
I am originally from Mountain Home and I grew up kind of in that area, Elmore county, Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry. I moved to Boise for college, Boise State in 98-99 and I've kind of been in the Ada county areas ever since. I live in Meridian now and I think I've been here at least 13-14 years.
What motivates you to create art?
I think I've developed a kind of part of me where I just have to do something and create something and I don't always create what I want to create. Sometimes it's stuff that's for other folks. And, you know, I just enjoy the process of creating. So I think for me, my motivation just comes from whether I'm working with somebody and I am able to bounce ideas off them. And then I use my creativity to kind of make something unique. But I think for my inspiration, it just comes from all over. I mean, I have a family. I have three girls and you know, they keep me on my toes and with social media and television, you get exposed to different things. Nature, you know, you go out. The other part about me, I think I get inspired by emotions and feelings. So if I'm feeling a certain way, I tend to choose a topic or a subject that to me represents what I'm feeling and that starts off with, you know, an idea and then a sketch and then I figure out how I want to execute it. Because like I said, I kind of work with different mediums. So you know, if it's an idea that I feel needs to become a painting or sketch or digital drawing, I kind of let that be part of the process. So I let that idea just kind of dictate wherever that goes, I mean, if it's something that I'm doing for myself, it’s different if it's something for a client or a customer, you know.
What's it like to create work for clients?
I went to school for graphic design. So by nature you have to work with clients, and you have to listen. I enjoy that process as far as talking to and working with folks and trying to figure out what the best way to get that idea of theirs out. So, you know, it's a process, it's one of those things where I like to just listen, I like to ask questions, I like to try to get as much out of what they're looking for and then I do my research and my process. Then I try to always sketch out my ideas and it usually starts off with like a doodle or some kind of basic idea sketch and then it just grows and I do multiple versions. A lot of folks forget how much goes on behind the scenes and into creating something that may not even look and seem like it. It's a big deal. But, you know, as a graphic designer, I think there's a lot of that process that folks don't realize, and I enjoy it. I mean, I enjoy working with folks and trying to come up with the best solution for what they're looking for.
How important is it for you to have space to go and create?
I think it’s important. As an artist, I always carry my sketchbook around and, you know, I usually jot down my ideas wherever I'm at and if I don't have a sketchbook I start with the idea maybe on my phone or just to kind of remember it. But as far as actual physical space, I think it's important to have that space to create and kind of get into the process and then create. Something about just being around all your supplies and materials and all these other things that go into it. I used to have an actual studio in downtown Boise called Blakbook for eight years so I know what it means to have that space and having your customers come in and seeing the work and seeing the process and having the space to actually create anything. Eight years I was there and now I operate out of my garage. So I turned my garage into a studio.
What was it like for you having a studio and gallery?
Man, it was great having a space and a gallery and you know. I named it Blakbook, and it kind of originated with the idea of this community based concept where I wanted to showcase other artists. I called it Blakbook based on my experiences with graffiti art and carrying around black books and having other graffiti artists partake and basically hit up your black book with their art, and it would be passed around. So I took that concept and turned it into this magazine called Blakbook Pages and then I just kind of got busy making this local magazine and I knew I needed space. I looked around and found a studio and then the studio became kind of a gallery. Then I was able to showcase some of these same artists featured in the magazine. I started showcasing them in my gallery, Blakbook Gallery, downtown Boise. And yeah, it was one of those experiences that to this day I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. Just learned from all the folks I dealt with and I worked with and just a lot of learning.
Are there Boise specific opportunities you’ve taken advantage of?
Yeah, I feel like there is, you know, Boise's art scene has been growing since I've been here, it seems like it is always fresh. Fresh artists coming in, fresh art, different things. The city of Boise I know has different opportunities. I know I participated in some public art academies, which led to things. Freak Alley Outdoor Gallery, downtown Boise. I've participated in the traffic boxes that they have in the city of Boise. I think I learned a lot during the public art academy that they offered. It was a six week or eight week course. I think I was in one of the first classes and it's just one of those things. As a public artist you want to be in the know, you’ve got to be proactive. You’ve got to be out there looking for these opportunities. And there's a lot you know, if you're good at what you do, then that leads to a job or an opportunity that I think for me has always helped with word of mouth. Word of mouth has led to a lot of different folks reaching out to me and kind of wanting to see how I can help them out.
What is it like making a living by designing and doing art?
I'm a full time graphic designer for the Bureau of Reclamation. I've been there 19 years. Right out of college I was able to score a student position that led to a permanent position and I've been there ever since. I have a small team where I do in house work for the Bureau, and working for the Bureau is a kind of job that I don't think I would have ever imagined while going to school. They don't really teach you about these kinds of gigs, but I love where I work. I love the people I work with. I learn so much because you deal with different technical, scientific things that are not normally considered creative, but, you know, when you talk about what we do out there at the agency, it's about managing water, so they deal with the dams and they deal with rivers and deal with lakes and so there's a lot of different folks in the region, or where we work at that do different things, so those are all my clients. When I'm working with engineers, or scientists, or biologists or geologists and they're doing their projects, I get to learn what they're doing and it's pretty fun. You know, it's not your typical design job or marketing job where you're dealing with corporations, you know, I feel like I'm a public servant. I work for the public and that's pretty gratifying. It's a pretty cool gig knowing that you're contributing to something good. It's just pretty neat that you learn so much out of it. And yeah, that that's kind of what pays the bills. The Bureau of Reclamation is a great agency. I've enjoyed the whole time I've been there but I do find a balance. I have to find a balance. My creative balance is, you know, there's this graphic design job for technical but I come from this background of graffiti in the streets and that's always been part of me. I have to find that outside of my job so you'll see some work that I do and you might see kind of where that comes from now, based on some of that history, I guess.
Why do you keep creating?
I think I create because I have to. It's just one of those things that early on I knew was what made me get lost, or I don't want to say get lost, but I would just get into this zone that was about creating, it was about making, you know, it was about turning nothing into something and I have always enjoyed the process and finding the solution to a problem and that's probably why I like graphic design. I chose to be a graphic designer by trade because to me it's a career that's about solutions, you know, finding solutions to a problem. I think with art and creativity in general, for me, I think everyone has creativity within them and I think by nature we all create. I just happen to continue with it and stick with it and I've enjoyed the process of it, so I feel really good about it. When I create I don't have to do it for anyone, I just do it because I love to do it and I've always enjoyed that. I don't think most artists feel that way. I think most artists feel like if they could create for themselves, you know, that would be the ideal gig and maybe that's the goal at the end, but I think for now, I just follow my passion, follow what I love to do, and whatever pays the bills at this point, you know.
Is there anything I haven't asked you about that you want to talk about?
I'm an artist, I think just by nature and I've done many different kinds of art. I'm always experimenting, you know, I'm always trying to push myself. One of the things nowadays I do is, because a lot of my time is occupied with my day job and I want to stay creative and do creative stuff, I try to push myself to learn and grow as an artist and that takes time. My time is stretched thin because I'm involved in lots of different things in my day to day life. I have a family. I have a day job. I'm involved in the nonprofit community where we help a lot of the local youth. I try to be involved in positive things in my community. All that takes time, and so when you want to sharpen your skills as an artist, you know, that takes time. So what I've been doing is focusing more on that. For me, it's important to grow as an artist, so I push myself and if I'm doing a portrait, if I'm doing a landscape, or if I'm doing whatever subject, I try to push myself to make it the best that I can and that means putting in the time, and that means making time, and if you love something that you do, then you gotta make time for it.