When I grow up.... what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up as a kid? How do those interests influence your work, and how did you settle on being an artist?

A few high school buddies and I decided whole heatedly to become police officers, I don't know at what point but I would say we were kids.  So off we went to college to pursue degrees in  Police Administration.  And I was almost finished with it too.  I had about three semesters left in college when I switched to art.  At this moment, I have no earthly idea why I wanted to go into police administration, except for comics and action movies.  Even when I was a police admin major, I made paintings (terrible, terrible paintings) in my dorm room.  I finally took a college level drawing class and then and there decided that I didn't like guns, radios or buzz cuts.

I have been working off and on with a body of work I call the Hinkle paintings. These paintings explore a relatively large group of ideas related to childhood, growing up, family and all of the other things the constantly pervade the thinking and actions of an adult.  Or at least me, as an adult.  Within this group of paintings, there is a sub group that deals with imagery related to superheros.

Here is an artist statement sketch for these paintings.  It is unresolved and unofficial but anyway...

"This body of work indulges in the cliche imagery of the superhero.  Fat guys in capes.  It explores moments of untapped potential, or total lack of potential, in superheros who look more like guys I know.

In these paintings, it is unclear if the superhero can rise to the occasion.  He may get up, or he may sit there – contemplating what it all means.  In the Hinkle Paintings I am exploring my shifting idea of what the body can look like, my interest in an ever expanding world of superhero cliche and the connection between these figures and the enigmatic situations that apply pressure to them."

 These paintings are in some way about going to college with ambitions of being a police officer and possibly by extension, a superhero.  Its interesting that when I was a kid, I sat in my room and drew pictures of superheros and now I sit in my room and paint pictures of superheros, the difference is that the superheros I drew as a child were trying to save the city or the world and the ones I make now are really just trying to save themselves - from what I don't know.

 
 
 Don't forget to check out Peggy's blog for her answer!