"Spilling/Spinning". Medium: acrylic on canvas, 48" x 30"

You may know Brandon Boyd from his role as front man of Incubus; but this artistically inclined crooner has a wealth of creative energy bubbling within him that transcends cut and dry classification.

We were beyond delighted when this prodigy of a writer/musician/visual artist donated “spilling/spinning”, the central piece of his first solo show Ectoplasm, for the Juxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction.

Katie Zuppann: What drew you to the medium of visual art over vocal art? Was this a definitive switch or have you always pursued painting?

Brandon Boyd: I was drawing and painting long before I was in a band or had aspirations of pursuing music. Art was always the impulse that wouldn't be ignored. When music found me it presented itself like the blonde haired twin of Art. So it was and always has been the surrogate wife, so to speak. Being in a position now where music has created space and certain freedoms, it seemed only logical and even fun to sleep on that side of the bed for a while.

The piece you donated, "spilling/spinning" is a beautiful rendition of a female with covered eyes.  This was also the main image for your Ectoplasm solo show. Is there significance to the covered eyes? Why did you choose this piece as your show's main image?

On the most simple of notes, this piece was the purest expression in amongst a flurry of thoughts. I did a dozen or so paintings and countless other drawings which represented my fascination with the Occult, the characters which have colored it's culture, the charlatans, and the possibilities of a lingering magical world. Her eyes are covered because in any realm of human understanding one must employ a certain amount of faith. In this case, so much of the Spiritualist movement of the turn of the century was based on the exploitation of people's grief. And invariably, of their faith in the afterlife. They wanted to believe so badly that their fallen family members were 'somewhere' (so to speak) that they were literally willing to pay photographers, mediums and mystics to conjure their dead relatives.

Do you approach your visual art differently than your music? What goes into your painting process?

I approach it differently only in the sense that I treat Art more like a Lover with whom I am sharing an egalitarian relationship. In music, I have moments of equality, but I am more of a selfish brute when expressing in song. I will never sit down and draw or paint if not overwhelmingly compelled. But I grab my guitar and play even if I am not in the mood. Maybe I should be more of a brute in general.

Do you have any plans for future art shows? Ever thought of collaborating on works with other visual or music artists?

I don't have any new art shows in the works as yet. Lots of wonderful opportunities are arriving but in that spirit of purity, I would like to think that if and when a series of works worth sharing came along I would share. But I don't want to force it.

I think about collaborating all of the time with this artist or that. Those musicians or these. But I am not the most ambitious character in the world. Funny that I grew up in LA, I should be more of a shmoozer. Why? Know of any cool artists or musicians that would want to jam?

What does painting fulfill in you that singing does not?

Both are very emotional and physical expressions. And truth be told, both are similar in their immediate and residual effects. I would have to say that painting is a far more abstracted medium for me. Even though I rarely write 'literal' songs, paintings have a way of providing the viewers with more Rabbit Holes than anything else.

Read all about the Juxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction here.

Bid on this piece by Brandon Boyd here.