what's the idea behind your dolls?
just trying to bring my 2d characters into the 3d world, and giving them a whole new look in the process. by the last one i finally had it figured out, balancing the body out with a giant hat retains the proper 'cute' ratio and fits the dimensions perfectly... next time, giant hats for everyone!

red vines or twizzlers?
red vines, OG style, used to sip an extra large cherry coke.

what contemporary artists are you inspired by?
so, so many friends and up and coming kids, also a lot of graphic design, past and present, 60's and 70's childen's book illustrators, and, as my refuge from the street/pop/graffiti stuff i see every day, i really like curling up with a good book of just plain beautiful portraits, a la elizabeth peyton and karen kilimnik.

last piece of art acquired?
pretty much back to back i got a chocolate cake watercolor by gabby gamboa, a demented disney girl by tracy volcano, and put in an order for a giant pink two-headed stuffed deer by liz mcgrath.

tell the audience what movie/book/album/website/tv show/magazine you love that most people haven't seen/read/heard?
the things i love the most are all secret! one of my all time favorites, mary blair, disney concept artist, children's book illustrator and designer of 'it's a small world' at disneyland was fairly unknown until recently, now there's a whole book about her art... the secrets out!!! also, everyone needs to see 'wild rides', a roller coaster documentary hosted by a rumble fish era matt dillon, which opens with the stunning 'hi, i'm matt dillon, and i really dig roller coasters' and consists of mini-vingettes on a nationwide coaster tour set to the hits of the day.

how did you get to where you are now?
sheer chance, mostly. i'm not much for 'networking' or dogged persistence.

favorite place in your town?
a toss-up between the aforementioned 'it's a small world' ride, the hunting lodge themed diner downtown, the alpine themed steakhouses scattered around the perimeter of los angeles proper, the museum of jurassic technology, mashti mallones, pinks, and the antiquarian art bookstore in santa monica.

favorite place in the world?
i have a soft spot for british seaside towns, from the obvious ones like brighton to the most ramshackle fallen out of favor holiday destination you could imagine, crumbling piers and dusty candy shops with stock that hasn't rotated since 1963... that and one of my favorite feelings on earth is being on the open road with everything i own in the back of my car, my cat lying out on the dash and not being exactly sure where to land.

i would not be an artist if it were not for _________ ?
my parents, for the encouragement and a bottomless box of crayons.