Brian McCarty

Some might call it playing with toys. Others might call it toys at play. But to those who know best, it’s simply McCarty Photoworks. Brian photographs popular characters and art toys ranging from Barbie to Tokidoki in locations that accentuate their personalities, like an episode of the Dating Game or a red sand desert.  As stated by his studio, Brian’s “postmodern integration of concept and character has earned McCarty’s photography a prominent position in the growing Urban Vinyl/Art-Toy movement, popularized by fellow artists such as Takashi Murakami and Brian “KAWS” Donnelly.” To see more from Brian’s surreal artistic and commercial collaborations, check out his new 100-photograph monograph, and read his 10 ANSWERS below.

1. How would you describe your work in three words?
Location toy photography.

2. Who is your creative role model?
There are so many artists whose work I hugely admire, but I’m not sure I
have any role models per se. The photographers that truly inspire me are mostly documentary based – people like Helen Levitt, Robert Frank, Bruce Davidson, and Charles Harbutt.

3. If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
Lately, I’d say sleep. It’s been a little busy. But I’d also settle for an hour a day swimming.

4. What place in the world most inspires you and why?
Tough one. There are places like White Sands, NM that I’ll always love for beauty and solitude, but for pure inspiration it’s hard to top San Diego Comic Con. It’s an orgy of over stimulation and pop culture blending. It takes me weeks to process and percolate ideas afterwards.

5. If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
Brain surgeon…just to be one small step closer to becoming Buckaroo Banzai.

6. What is your favorite homemade gift to give?
Chocolate chip cookies made from a secret family recipe. They take two days to make properly, but it’s a fun process resulting in pure yum.

7. What is your favorite object in your home?
Currently, I’m partial to an old Anvil case that I’ve had for 20 years. I just spent a few weeks refinishing it and turning it into an archive for the last few years of work. The weight of it and damage received by UPS ended its time on the road, but in its prior life, the case traveled with me around the world. Glad to give it a new purpose though, and I love the look of Shellacked, well-worn wood.

8. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
The camera’s only job is to get out of the way of making photographs.

9. What websites do you use for inspiration?
Boing Boing, The Citrus Report, GeekChicDaily

10. When do you consider a piece of your work complete?
When it comes as close as possible to matching the image I have in my head.