Spenser Michaels

You’re doing research for a project and being cryptic about it. Yes I am. What can you tell me? Without giving too much away, I have a diverse group of friends I’ve always wanted to paint. And with some of them I've been wanting to create a series of portraits, but take these people who inspire me and put them in a different atmosphere, something out of my mind. It’s fantasy based but I also want to capture their personality through the eyes mostly. It’s going to be nudes on a large scale and some will be portraits. But there’s going to be a twist to it, which I can’t express. You’re taking your friends, these characters in your life, and you’re using them as a jumping off point for fantasy? Do you feel like you’re exploiting your friends? No. Is this masturbatory? No. It's not sexual in nature? Some if it is. Then what’s the fantasy? That’s genius…that’s amazing. Well, some of it is going to be erotic. But there’s going to be a twist. You've owned and run a gallery? Still do, we just don’t have the space. Why the project and why the gallery? Why do both? Right now we’re on hiatus. My business partner, Marco, is a brilliant photographer. The gallery that we had here at the Piazza, Waterbox, was too small. We wanted a bigger space. He’s working on a photography project and I’m working on my project in the meantime before we find another space. A lot of artists just want to do the art. Why do you want to be on the exhibition side? Marco and I thought about this for a while. We want to be able to control the environment. The show I’m doing will be through Waterbox but it’s not going to be a place we own. This is popular in New York now, where people find a space, do a show for two days, and move on to another space. I’m think that’s how my show will be. You're staying fluid. Right, that’s why we’re called Waterbox. It's about not being limited to any space. It could be at someone’s house, outside, anywhere. It can take any shape. Curating and organizing things is an art in itself. Absolutely. That’s what’s exciting about this. It’s not just about the art. It’s going to be an event...I tell myself, “There’s no deadline." I’m taking my time. I’m doing it at my own pace with no pressure. It’s very organic. Rushing is bad. It is bad. Plus, I don’t want to be stressed out. I don’t want a grey hair.