“My work is a form of self-hypnosis. Its a way of turning off cognitive thought and simply reacting. Its very meditative. It is escapism, though in a certain sense, its a form of hyper-existence- of living purely in the moment. In this way the work becomes a method of overcoming fears. That said, a large part of what I do involves a familiarization with death. My belief is that, as painful as it can be, looking directly at death helps you to live your life with intent and purpose. In this light, the work I do delves into a place where the lines between life, death, fantasy and reality are blurred." -Jason Borders, Portland, Oregon. "I do not plan my designs. At all. I don’t think I would have the patience to finish anything if I did. Im convinced that youll get better results from sticking to a simple approach that incorporates randomization, improvisation, intuition, etc. than thorough planning. Its like Faulkner or early blues music. As an added bonus, if you do something a thousand times it will inevitably change and improve. Theres a certain regeneration to it. Consistency, rhythm, repetition have been very strong themes in my life. I work the way I do because its a format wherein just a few elements can be used to generate an infinite number of results. There are only a few things I could do a million times and not get bored and I put a high premium on them.” Buffalo Ram Bull Hog Eland Donkey Cow Raccoon http://www.jasonborders.com

Indian-born Raqib Shaw is a London based artist who is known for painting royalty, raw, beautiful chaos that could make kings from all corners of the map stand in line and RSVP for. His paintings scream themes of mythology, religion, and decorative arts from both eastern and western traditions. Jesus and Satan would both weep tears of horror and bliss.

Jessica Stoller is a sculptor based out of New York who specializes in ceramics and porcelain. She has received her MFA at the Cranbrook Art Academy and a BFA from College for Creative Studies. Stoller has exhibited her work in numerous shows throughout the US and in Berlin, Germany. http://jessicamstoller.com