FRUIT SALAD

It's not only what I  have for breakfast every day, but it's also the way I approach my creative life on a daily basis.  I try to soak up as much inspiration from an unusual variety of sources.  Books, magazines, movies, photos, real life.  I have an extensive collection of how-to books on a variety of subjects, and it all helps keep me well fed.  My background has always been art, and lately (with the help of Michael DeMeng) I've been working on surface textures.  You know, the tactile stuff, from cracks to the grittiness of rust.  I think you have to stay well fed, energized, vibrant, and more importantly keep you mind active . . . new ideas, as we age, are harder to come by.  Keep your radar on and JUICED!

These Zombie Hunter vehicles are only a manifestation of all my influences, an amalgamation of styles that by the time I pick up the airbrush, I feel rather dizzy with anticipation about what exactly will turn out.  I think this is the journey for most artists.  (Yes, model builders ARE artists, why not?)  No the final product, but the way there.  The twists and turns on the road to and through discovery.

These cobbled and kit-bashed subjects are highly addictive for the above reason. I never know how they will turn out, and I can only learn on the way there.  I think the other factor about why I build these things has to do with patience.  I am a very impatient person.  Always have been.  Building models helps me control my manic side, my compulsive streak, which allowed to run rampant will often see me back on the couch not doing anything, watching time fly out the window.

A little bit of everything feeds the head, the creative soul, it will help you stay interested in your hobby, your craft, your art.  Most people do nothing, they are quite content to rest and get back to the daily grind of menial work (not all of us are pilots, brain surgeons, rocket scientist!).  Not me.  I've always wanted to make stuff up, build something, move beyond this reality right now.  Time is about the doing.  In the end you can weigh all of it by how much STUFF you've created.