life as art

Art to me is only about the emotion of it, the connection to it. I'm no art scholar, I'm just a beginning collector of art and I like what I like. I grew up with artists, here in California we have many. As a child I would visit the studio of artist Burt Proctor, a close family friend. As a teenager I worked summers at the Festival of the Arts in Laguna just so I could be close to the artists(and surfers!)

I love Kimberly Brooks work, a personal favorite is "Yosemite River", my own kids in the same river on the left. Her much anticipated upcoming show "The Stylist Project" begins this month. Kimberly is somehow able to translate paint into a language I understand. The Made in California show I curated with Kimba Hills last summer at TGS allowed me to feature the Yosemite series right next to California heavyweights Ed Moses, Billy Al Bengston and Peter Alexander where it belongs.

As many of you now know I spent much time in Lonepine, specifically Whitney Portal as a kid and now spend much time there with my three sons. It's inspired me, informed my style as much or more than working in the fashion or film. It's real, it's raw and makes everything else seems silly or frivolous. I climbed to the top(14, 496 feet) twice when I needed to challenge myself, it may have even saved my life.

The ruggedness of Lynn Hanson's work inspires me in the same way. Each like a found object, with unexpected danger awaiting.