This interview is completly, totally in and all other ways the work of Sandra, AKA :iconsbraci:. However since she has now left DA, she has asked me if I would be kind enough to post it. Enjoy

1. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself, your art, and your inspirations?

I’ve been an artist since I can remember at the same time I’m still trying archive that very goal. My parents and I immigrated to the United States from Germany when I was seven.

As an only child not speaking English I drew to express myself, to dream and to hide in my private sanctuary. My Dad was an artist and he wasn’t shy about forcing me to draw. Cartoons (today’s Manga/Anime was forbidden it was drawing still-lifes, nature and the human form, exercises that where a daily occurrence. When I was ten I was painting the backgrounds of his oil paintings for $50 a shot and was teaching art to kids five years my senior at the local YMCA.

Thank God there were no video games or I might of been seduced by them. Art has been it; my muse-I put all my energy craftsmanship and concepts into that basket with no regrets. I have three sons, Brian, Jeremey and my eleven year old little star - Ean. My wife Valerie Allen is an amazing artist in her own right, my partner and friend. I’m inspired by many things music, nature, books I read, people in my life, marks in the driveway, its being truly open to your surroundings that makes you “see” the world in a truly unique way.

2. I noticed you put a lot of planning and thought in your artwork can you tell us about your process of creation and its importance?

Most of my graphite drawings go through a conceptual process well before I start drawing but are not any way completely thought out until the final pencil stroke. The seed of these ideas comes from different sources, music being my major influence. Rarely does other traditional art directly influence me although I am moved emotionally by a lot of it.

3. Which do you enjoy more process of creation or finished artwork?

In this order... concept, process and finished artwork all are an important part of the full circle of artistic creation. I am very leery of someone who clams process is the only important part of making art, one supports the other.

4. You are inspiration to quite few young emerging artist, especially on DeviantArt. I have noticed you have quite huge fan base, as well a number of them painting and drawing portraits of you how does that make you feel?

That’s quite an honor, it’s very important for me to be looked up to by my peers and I continue to be humbled by it. As for people drawing me, that’s puzzling, every five or so years I draw myself it’s not a pretty sight, but I find witnessing the aging process fascinating.

5. I noticed in some of your work you put quite long hours, how do you manage to maintain the interest in it from beginning to the end, as well as give it focus it deserves?

There are two things that keep the experience fresh through 800 hours of drawing time. One, its not one drawing, its 100 small daily drawings that meld together to produce a solid image. Every day a small drawing gets completed, I sit back and spend a few minutes going over the days drawing and plan for my next day. Secondly; I rarely have everything planed, its a constant challenge to come up with ideas such as backgrounds, textures, dramatic effects and they are never blueprinted in the early stages. This keeps me on my toes and keeps it fresh, exciting and a little freighting as well but not boring.

6. Do you believe attention to detail is important and why?

The details are both a challenge to produce and a seduction to the viewer. When the viewer is in a gallery they are confronted with many works of art to get them to walk over to my work I use details as an enticement. Once there hopefully they find the concept as interesting as the technique in which case I’ve done my job.

8. I noticed quite different approach to your paintings vs your drawings, where the paintings even though they are still controlled are much looser, how do you feel about approaching painting vs approaching the drawing? Which method of expression do you prefer and why?

The tree paintings come from another place-a place where romance, hope and beauty resides, it’s a place that’s devoid of politics and social issues. They read kind of poetic, about small ideas of the segmentation of color, dappled light and subtle abstraction. The drawings are more akin to a novel telling a story usually somewhat dark or a descriptive allegory of the person I am drawing. Both are equally impotent to my well being as an artist and my creative language.

9. I could say you are one of rare deviants on DA that has been reported for the "Deviation Excellence" how do you feel about that?

I don’t know what that means? Its sounds great but you’ll need to educate me on this one.

10. What do you try to accomplish with your artwork?

To communicate feelings and ideas in an interesting and beautiful manner, I try to create my reality in a structure of a true work of art. When this gets shared with the viewer and they are moved art happens.

11. Quite few deviants have told me about small acts of kindness you have done that have given them the wings to fly on, myself included, where you have contacted them through notes and given them words of encouragement. What drives you to contact them to inspire them?

When I started on DA it was almost all anime…nothing wrong with it but traditional art was way down on the interest scale. Yet I saw many works that where fantastic with few comments, I wanted that to change and now traditional art of all caliber is cultivated here at DA. When I see young traditional artists I try to give them advice in the spirit of my teachers, and in turn they will as well, an age-old circle of mentorship.

12. All the portraits I have seen you post on DeviantArt have attitude, strong personality that has been captured, that gives them incredible life, how much do you believe capturing the personality and the spirit of the subject is important vs. its faithful representation of the features?

When drawing very detailed work in a realistic manner I feel something has to change through my observation be that from live model or reference photos that I take. “Copying” gets boring real fast, I have to change things, heighten emotions, exaggerate, omit and weave my own story yet stay within the visual scope of the sitter. This isn’t easy to do for as much as I appreciate photo-realism as a technical prowess I am left cold by the concept as blueprinted in the 1970’s. I consciously remove flaws and distortion that photography inherently has as a characteristic, I use the mediums strengths. I am faithful to what I see along with what I feel at times that doesn’t align with what the model sees.

13. What inspires you about human face and expression? Why do you find it interesting?

The human face as a creative vehicle has it all. A host of textures, interesting opportunities for dramatic lighting, transparencies, and translucencies, organic structure and even bit of geometric quality. Conceptually you can say most everything with the human face, a vast opportunities to tell your story.

14. How much do your roots, and your past influence your work?

I sure you can’t shake all that, the good and bad. Doing the drawing “stripped” took me to some dark places about my being German and the sad and violent history of my forefathers. Guilt will always be part of my art. Also I am proud of my family for risking their lives by helping Jew escape the Nazis, my father was a very young fifteen year old German soldier doing his bit for patriotism. Certainly I’m not ashamed of him, at the same time its un-controlled patriotism that brings a lot of evil to our planet. I don’t feel German nor American I’m feed up with labels.

15. Can you please tell us a bit about journey you went through drawing your mother and saying goodbye through your work in drawing "Blues for Mama"?

As described after I fished the drawing it was an emotional roller closer of colossal size. My Step-Dad who was just as precious to me as my “real” dad, died six mothers before my mom, she could live without him, within a half years both died in my arms.

Three weeks after her death I started this drawing; When her first eye was completed I felt her presence, when the face was finished it almost knocked me over with grief and yet there was the reassurance of her watching over me, sitting on my shoulder. The background was unyielding in its symbolism and intensity, the flowers that she always wanted me to draw but never got around to, patterns her blouse. The rose silhouettes carved in the aging stonewall, speak of a commemorative wall of ageless markings, and finally the moon filled with personal symbolism addressing amongst other things birth, life, death…and rebirth. I will miss this very “look” the look that confirmed she was very proud of my artistic achievements but more than that, she was proud of the man I’ve become. I will miss, the love she had for my little boy Ean, he was so special to her and gave her a chance to see life again from the eyes of a child, where all things are possible and fantasies become real once more. I will miss the special relationship that can only be achieved between a son and his mother, the trust and un-judgmental faith we had in each other. I will miss her gentle nature, a kind, positive woman who lived by the basic code of loving her fellow humans

My hope that this drawing would be cathartic was not to be, but now that this is completed and time has passed on maybe I will attain some inner peace, but I doubt it. .

16. Throughout of your art career you have been awarded many times can you pick one of them that is most important to you and tell us why?

The first time I got into a show along with my mentor Larry Butcher, he won the show and I just got excepted but you would of thought I won a gold medal at the Olympics. In the following years we have been in many shows together trading off prizes, we even had a couple of two person shows, but it was that first one that sill rocks.

17. Which artists do you look up to and why?

I look up to the following people as artist but since I cant separate who I am from my artistic guise they influenced me as a person.

Todd Burroughs, my best friend and 18 years my junior. Todd’s interest and boundless fascination with all things art and his amazing insights have been a major influence on me. Before meeting Todd I was a good drawer and painter but I have become much better due to his honesty and giving nature. Looking up to him goes way beyond art, Todd gave me the knowhow to be a good “Mench” I have learned more form him than he will ever know. As an artist I have no doubt Todd will be a major figure in the art world someday.

Larry Butcher, a great artist, teacher and mentor. He taught me in a subtle way what art can really be, what a great outlet for the creative expression and never to settle for anything. His work fascinated me when I first saw it more then 30 years ago and it still fascinates me just as much, without his guidance and friendship I wouldn’t be having this interview with you today.

Ian Anderson, leader of the band Jethro Tull. Early on I found kinship with Mr. Andersons lyrics, his music, his antics, and especially his professionalism his total commitment to excel is unbounded. Until ten years ago my only association was through his music but I got to know him personally and was amazed by his mind and generosity. Ian Anderson owns some of my work and I’ve never been more pleased.

My wife Valerie Allen is the most underrated artist I know of, her work is magic and I stand in awe.. But it’s not how I create maybe that’s why I love it so much. Sadly my work will never reach that degree of honesty and spiritually, but I know my straights.

And yes my Dad, the wild-man-artist himself.

There are many here at DA and over at ArtPapa for fear of leaving someone off the list ill just say I have gained insight and freshness in my work because of you.

18. Which are your 5 favourite works and why?

Five? Fifty would be better but ill give it a shot…

“Hurt” Video for the NIN song recreated by Johnny Cash. Usually I don’t respond to a music video acutely I think mixing art forms is diluting. Yet this work blew me away the raw emotions captured in this work is amazing, the honesty Mr. Cash portrays is one most pure artistic works I have ever seen.

Guernica, Picasso the screaming horse in this work capturers the appalling anguish of war . Picasso opened my eyes to see the world in a different way although my personal artistic language is so different.

Road with Cypress and Stars, by Vincent Van Gogh The first time I saw this work I was moved emotionally, blown across the museum. The movement literally gave me vertigo, what this man did in painting was miraculous.

Imagine, By John Lennon can’t say more than the song already says.

Family, Max Beckmann, I walked around a corner in the Düsseldorf At Museum and this painting brought me to tears, composed not unlike Guernica but more familiar and intimate but in its way just as brutal.
That’s my five today, tomorrow it would be another five.

19. Can you please tell us 5 traditional artworks that you have found on deviantart and why?

I will leave out any form of tight detail pencil work, I am familiar with many here that do this and I admire all of them so much but I think ill comment on different traditional endeavors. The five I chose are from people that I have rarely communicated with if at all.

My old Man 2 by Jleal, the one best caricaturist that I have seen. The balance between realism and distortion, Sharp details and out of focus areas are amazing.
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Sentimental Value by Bmessina, I love abstraction when executed with knowledge and Brian does with finesse. I wish I could feel the texture of these works, I love the composition and color choices they really move me in a very free way.
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Populus flucta, by vanbkybeck I just love her work period! This is just one I chose today wonderful balance between realism and a new world with alternate rules. Quite a journey
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Phantama by kuksi, just one of the works that are truly phenomenal, it’s a bombardment of imagery a feast for the senses and an adventure for the mind.
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Cardboard Dreams by Denis-Peterson again which one to chose. The guy is not only an amazing painter but prolific as hell! I’m not into photorealism for its own sake nor do I dismiss it, a lot of time its just great technique with no concept. Denis work is more he has a great sense of the abstract within hyperrealism and an unbelievable technical prowess, in this realm there is no one better.
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20. Which words of advice you can tell to all those starting up, that are on beginning of their art careers and just beginning to explore?
I have answered this in another interview and so I’ll repeat myself somewhat here. Don’t make money your main goal, don’t be into art trends, don’t make yourself the art, (very cliché passion helps, talent is a farce, don’t let your ego stop you from learning, look around you, look at the world, embrace humanity, draw, draw some more, draw all the time. And then if the stars align, the Gods smile on you and you live long enough you will have a fighting chance at making it, what ever that means….but enjoy the trip, I am.