Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25128
·TROPICAL HAZARDS: 2000. OIL AND ACRYLIC ON WOOD because part of me wishes that I were an adventure guy. I' ll go out and do it [travel] but part of me is like Woody Allen, who doesn't want to leave the house. I'm a city kid. I grew up in the Museum of Natural History, not nature. But I'm very conscious and critical of myself. That's why I make myself go out and do it. Part of the hope of travel is transformation. We all hope that we will come back a different person. blue: Would you say that you take risks for the sake of your . art? AR: I take risks for the sake of who knows what and then turn it into my work. Being an artist, on a certain level , is a strange and risky profession to have. Talk about no guarantees! The adventure is, you know, how you pay your rent. That's an adventure for an artist. It's one of the few industries where success or failure is almost completely inexplicable. Art is where I take my real risks. blue: What do you think about adventure travel? AR: I think adventure travel is a collision between eco- tourism, theme park rides and travel fantasy. As a growing trend, I think it 's fascinating. It's the last frontier- that is, unless you leave the planet. blue: Is there a sarcastic attitude towards adventure travel in your paintings? AR: No, my paintings don't mock adventure travel. But any- one who has insight and intelligence can understand the irony in finding "entertainment" in places on the planet that are extremely hard for humans to live in. blue: Is the adventure traveler the new paradigm? A dream identity? AR: Yes, for the disposable income group. On a certain level 75