Artist Max Fields creates the kind of work that grabs your attention instantly. It is bizarre and eerie, and really makes you feel something, almost uncomfortable at first. You feel as if you are looking at things Fields photographed that weren’t supposed to be shared. It’s beautifully odd. His photography is art, which is few and far between these days. Continue reading for an interview with the artist, and to see more of his work.

Serial Optimist: Hey Max! Thanks so much for taking the time. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Have you been a Texan all your life? As a photographer and artist, what does Texas offer you that other places can’t?

Max Fields: First off, thanks for having me, I really like what you’re doing and I’m glad to be here. I was born in Providence, RI in 1989, moved to LA, then to New York, South Georgia, and finally Texas. My pop had my family moving around a lot as kids because of his business life. The moving was good for me- I know a ton of people from all over the country now and I learned a lot about starting fresh in a new ‘home town’. Today I live in Commerce, Texas four days out of the week while I’m studying photography, the other three days I live in Denton, Texas.

Texas has a great art community. It’s a big state with people from all over the world, which makes it easy to meet an eclectic group of people who share a love of creating work. The awesome thing about Texas is how huge this state is – I can stay in the city and get my fix at the museums and galleries or I can wander around the back roads of the bedroom communities. In each place I go I learn different things… from how to blend in at a Biker Rally in Cooper, Texas to how to stand out in an art gallery in Dallas or Houston.

SO: When did you first know you wanted to be a photographer? Do you remember the first photograph you took?

Max: Shoot. I honestly cannot remember my first photograph. I was really young. I started taking photographs when I was about 12 or 13 while living in Georgia. I took photographs of my friends skateboarding around our neighborhood and town. I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew I was moving in a few weeks and I was never going to come back.  I knew I wanted to be a photographer when I moved to Houston in 2003 and realized how terrible I was a skateboarding. I figured I could keep hanging out with my friends and go out with them if I made them look cool and got them into local zines’ or websites. I originally wanted to be a sports photographer for a skateboarding magazine but I spazzed out on that when I left for college.

SO: What kind of photographer are you? What mediums do you work in, what is your style?

Max: I’m working to be more of an artist than photographer. I’m trying not to follow the rules of contemporary photography, which is a challenge sometimes. For instance, when I look at other students work around me hearing about their job offers at advertising agencies or Photoshop re-touching firms, it’s hard not let that style rub off on me. So, I’m staying focused; I’m just creating images that I like. I’m the kind of photographer that likes to love what they are doing. I’m working digitally right now which I really like. Working digitally makes manipulation endless. My style is all about the aesthetic created by the manipulation of the images. I’m creating dark, haunting, still images that resonate with quietness. If you read about William Faulkner, critics always say that his greatest strength was the way he used words to create an eerie stillness. I like that.

SO: I love your //Fuzz\\ and Fleeting series. What was the concept behind each series? Is this you messing around with different development styles? How do you come up to the completed image?

Max: In ‘//Fuzz\\ ‘, I am experimenting with the use of manipulation to create an eclectic body of work that is tied together by its shared aesthetic of high contrast and grain-filled images. ‘Fuzz’ attempts to uncover subjects that embody a feeling of stillness and relate those feelings to the viewer’s emotions by creating haunting images of disillusioned landscapes and obstructed portraits. ‘Fleeting’ is a series in which I am experimenting with the emotions of fleeting moments; The times in our lives that become engrained into our memories and affect how we feel about ourselves and the people we surround ourselves with. These series are my first attempts in developing my style for sure- I’m still young. Each Series has its own unique process. //Fuzz\\ is more about the manipulated image, i.e.  post production; ‘Fleeting’ is more about the moment the photo is taken.

SO: Do you think someone needs to be born with the ability to be a photographer, to see and find certain things that others can’t, or is it a taught process, or both?

Max: I don’t think someone needs to be born with the ability to photograph. Once you listen to enough people tell you your work is shit, eventually, you will learn for yourself how to make great images. The hard thing is making images that you and your audience likes at the same time. I think you need to be born with the ability to tear your own work apart. You need humility to be successful- I think you learn that.

SO: Who are some of your favorite photographers and why?

Max: Wow. Well, I really dig E.J. Bellocq because of the back-story that goes with his work. I also like Alexei Vassiliev because of the painterly like images he creates. My favorite contemporary photographers are Alexander Binder, Frederick Sommer, Ken Ohara, Terence Koh, and Idris Kahn.

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SO: Where do you find inspiration? What really drives you as an artist?

Max: My friends really give me inspiration. I know that’s cheesy, but, honestly my friends are really the interesting ones…they’ve turned me on to a lot of their obsessions and if anything listened to me rant about mine for countless hours. When it comes down to it, my inspiration comes from Italian horror movies, my music library, other artists, and my friends.

SO: What is the next step from you professionally?

Max: I’m working on self-publishing a book for the //Fuzz\\ series now and hopefully I will have it ready by December to sell. I’m also working on a project for Cedar Open Studio’s Auroa Show in Dallas, where I am collaborating with my friend and fellow artist, Jordan Glazer. The next step is more and more exhibitions. We’ll see what happens.

SO: Thanks Max, keep up the great work!

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SO Note: For more information and to see more work go to www.maxcfields.com.