I began photographing this painting in its different stages. This I find very helpful because to retrace one’s steps can help in one’s future artistic endeavors: For instance, in the first two stages, the painting, in my opinion, looks lighter and more vivid than its final version. Keeping this in mind, when I begin a new painting, I can avoid creating something that looks “too finished” and/or “too compact”.

Jeff is an entomologist who, at one point, stopped leaving his house. Besides his three cardboard companions, Paul, Mary and Grumpy Henry, he has no real friends. Getting his daily mail is his biggest obstacle. To overcome his fear he frequently consults Dr. Wintertoe who lives on the top floor of Jeff’s house.

Loretta is a pseudo-psychologist who has her own low-budget TV show set in a corner of her apartment. During the show, Loretta reads letters from desperate viewers and offers her support…

Edit, 2009: It is interesting to see how plots like these have become more wide spread in online media.

The Terrible Tooth Monster is a fictional B-movie character I came up with in 2003. Back then I thought extensively about the kind of flicks I saw as a teenager. I think watching television in the 80s and 90s was more fun. Tomatoes, dolls, scarecrows, or even Santa Claus turned into monsters. Thus, I came up with my own monster around which I constructed the following story: A mad scientist (I named him Dr. Wayne Bower) is working on a cure for tooth decay. While mixing chemicals he unintentionally creates a dangerous potion. Then, he tests the solution on his back tooth. The tooth starts to grow bigger and bigger and turns into The Terrible Tooth Monster! (The doctor -this shouldn’t come as a surprise- doesn’t make it).
My professor noticed my doodle and said: “Make it really big”–so I did. Needless to say that it was one of the most controversial pieces of the university’s art exhibition.