79Au

I still like incorporating mixed media with photography into my work. Most of these artists worked, lived, or exhibited in New York. Many would summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and my mother rented a small house and studio in Provincetown in the summer. I was enrolled in a summer workshop and lived on my own during the week. I was a precocious sixteen-year-old, so it was a blast. Many of my friends were the sons and daughters of the artists I admired. I got friendly with a guy named John Waters, who was working in a bookstore in town and starting to make 16mm films in his spare time. We all used to hang out at a dance bar called “Piggies,” so I suppose the first film seeds might have been planted then. My mother and stepfather exposed me to Film at a very early age by often taking me to foreign films with subtitles. I grew up very fast. Art Schools will let you pick your major in your second year. Instead, all students are enrolled in what is known as a “foundation year”. The idea is to expose the students to drawing, painting, and sculpture before they decide what they want to major in. Before starting my first year in late August, I remember wandering around the old part of Philly and running into a crew of guys shooting a film. Serendipity struck when one of the crew asked if I could hold up a reflector to light the shot. It turned out that these guys were seniors at PCA and were making a film. Long story short, we clicked, and they took a liking to me. I did some acting in their movies and crewed in my spare time. When it came time to announce my major, I chose Film.