I Was Meticulously Copying Other Art And

I'd Never Even Thought About Compromise When I Worked In My Studio. The Major Distinction Is In The Priority Of Who I Ultimately Wanted To Please: Myself Or The Audience.

In Horror Stories Or In Fairy Tales, The Fascination With The Morbid Is Also, At Least For Me, A Way To Prepare For The Unthinkable… That’s Why It’s Very Important For Me To Show The Artificiality Of It All, Because The Real Horrors Of The World Are Unmatchable, And They’re Too Profound. It’s Much Easier To Absorb – To Be Entertained By It, But Also To Let It Affect You Psychologically – If It’s Done In A Fake, Humorous, Artificial Way.

Everyone Thinks These Are Self-portraits But They Aren't Meant To Be. I Just Use Myself As A Model Because I Know I Can Push Myself To Extremes, Make Each Shot As Ugly Or Goofy Or Silly As Possible.

I Was Feeling Guilty In The Beginning; It Was Frustrating To Be Successful When A Lot Of My Friends Weren't. Also, I Was Constantly Being Reminded Of That By People In My Family Making Jokes.

I Like Making Images That From A Distance Seem Kind Of Seductive, Colorful, Luscious And Engaging, And Then You Realize What You're Looking At Is Something Totally Opposite. It Seems Boring To Me To Pursue The Typical Idea Of Beauty, Because That Is The Easiest And The Most Obvious Way To See The World. It's More Challenging To Look At The Other Side.