Interview with artist: Tom Deininger
First of all we would like to thank you for taking the time to provide Interactive Blend with this interview.
+1 ::: Please tell us more about your art and design background and when did you first realize you are an artist?
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I feel like I always knew that I wanted to make things. I did not enjoy playing with toys as a kid but instead used them as a catalyst for a creative endeavor like building jumps for cars and motorcycles, forts for GI Joe figures and stuff like that. I always liked drawing and that just led me down the road towards what I do now. I still like to draw. I wanted to go an art school or just drop out of life and surf but to please my parents I went to a liberal arts school near a great surf spot and majored in art. Painting really opened up a whole new world for me. |
+2 ::: Your work is pretty unique and full of creativity. What do you find visually stimulating right now?
I find almost everything visually stimulating from NASCAR smash ups to Hubble images and shit just lying around the streets. When it comes down to it I am a real visual slut. I try to look at everything and try not to judge beauty with a hierarchy of value or the source from which it is derived. It’s almost a Buddhist concept.
+3 ::: Could you describe for us your typical ‘start to finish’ workflow when working on a new painting?
I cannot describe anything like that because my processes are all different. I try to vary the work for this very reason.
+4 ::: What are your tools of the trade? Do you have a preferred medium?
A glue gun is a preferred tool but I literally use almost everything. I like working with all kinds of materials. That’s the fun in it really. One thing that entertains me is the appropriation of an object to serve a function other than it’s intended use.20It’s the way evolution works. A series of mutations that help something survive that then wind up defining a new species. Some of the best inventions come from other more abstract sources. discoveries by accident while working on another problem.
+5 ::: What are your favorite websites, and why?
I Like TED and AOL mail, Google Image search, NEsurf, but I cruise around a lot too. I wish I had a better answer for this question.
+6 ::: What famous artists have influenced you, and how?
Way too many to list but I can say I am a big fan of Tim Hawkinson, Peiter Bruegel, Edward Kienholz, and a lot of painters. I don’t care for minimalist art or anything that requires a whole back story of conceptual jargon and art world insider nonsense. That stuff strikes me as pretentious and boring. It makes me want to get into a fight. Which is something else I used to enjoy doing.
+7 ::: What do you do for fun (besides painting)?
I enjoy board sports like surfing, skating, kite boarding, and snowboarding. I love movies and hanging out with my family and close friends. Mountain biking is fun sometimes and having sex is great too. I should have put that first.
+8 ::: How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
Very poorly. It’s one balance that is difficult for me to strike because If I made a product I would not want to make something else just like it. Some artist’s (if that’s what you want to call them) just make the same damn thing over and over again. I would rather eat glass. This makes marketing or promoting very difficult because people want to know what they are getting. I also don’t like to self promote. It’s nauseating to see people out there saying this and that about how great their work is so you need to find someone with great connections that will do that for you. Now you need to make relationships to get to that person. I just cant stand all of that. That said, I do okay.
+9 ::: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I try not to but if pushed I just hope i am doing something very different from what I am doing now.
+10 ::: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
It depends on the persons work and their personality I guess. I don’t believe in universal advice to anyone for anything.
+11 ::: Once again, thank you very much for the interview. As a final word, do you have any tips for upcoming artists and designers?
It was my pleasure. Thank you and the only thing I can say to anyone is to use your art to discover yourself. I hope you like what you find.
Where to find Tom Deininger on the web:
