Free Food: Q&A with M. Carter

I secretly admired graphics of M. Carter's T-shirts when I go window shopping at Steven Alan or Spacial etc. I was curious what kind of person makes them.

I found these cool prints of food on his website last year surfing online at work. Yesterday I got so lucky to get some questions answered by him via email. His answers are so amazing. I felt like I went to stranger's attic and found really cool knickknacks.

Q1: Can you explain a little bit about the piece?
I was taking a screenprinting class a couple years back and i wanted to make it really worth my while (I was real broke) and also do something in a series that would sit well together. I have been obsessed w/ reproducing objects at lifesize for some time now and snacks & fast food lent themselves to the time and size constraints I was faced w/ as a novice printer. It was a helpful process that informed my work since then and I think they are still quite cute (my faves are the shrimps and oysters, oh and the weiner).

Q2: Where can they be purchased?
They cannot be purchased, however if someone is interested, they can contact me as I have a few sets left.

Q3: You seem to be into food since you also had the photo project of everything you ate in 2002. What are your favorite restaurants in town?
I am into food, but perhaps not as adventurous as I would like to be. I cook a lot, sort of a mixture of the american south and south of the border. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect BLT, hamburger and General Tso's chicken (authentic tacos too but have kinda given up). I ate at EGG (they started doing lunch recently) 3 times last week. On a good day, I would say their burger is the best. For BLT's go to the Stage restaurant on 2nd ave. 

Q4: Do you work out?
HAAAA. Thats a good one. Started running last year but when I met my running partner after a few beers at Turkeys, she sent me home and I haven't tried again since. Still have the shoes though. My roommate and I have a collection of bikes including a couple of tandems, I pretty much ride everywhere once the weather is warm.

Q5. What are your favorite museums and galleries?
I've really been getting into the idea of a day at the Met lately. You can go there and explore many different things, maybe you wanna see something specific, but if you have some time you always discover something unexpected. I'm really getting inspired by ancient Greek and Roman art and I need to get over there to check out the recently reopened galleries ASAP. I would say that I dont go to galleries as much as I used to. I have a lot of Artist friends and I try to stay current by picking their brains / digging their scenes.

Q6. You design the best t-shirts. Do you normally dress in T-shirts and jeans? What are you wearing today?
Been kinda broke lately so I've gifted myself the entire Spring collection. Once the weather is warm enuf, I pretty much wear corduroy board shorts and flip flops everyday. Today, I had a meeting so I'm dressed office casual: Sweet vintage blue gigham s/s western shirt w/ loud green chinos (a gift from Chris' mom) & Rainbows. 

Q7. What's your background? What's the story behind designing T-shirts?
Failed graphic designer / handyman falls in w/ a fashion crowd and dyes t-shirts in garbage cans to save money...

Q8. Any personal interests?
Right now I am feeling: Tiki culture, tourism, antique postcards, colonial islands, the UN, ropes & pulleys, nomad culture, nautical waste... I better not give it all away!

Thanks so much Milton!

For inquiries on the prints contact miltoncater.com

Check out Milton's awesome T-shirts