Peter Barrickman's work is nearly impossible to categorize, but it's definitely as accessible as it is mysterious and just plain fun to look at. This isn't the least bit surprising considering the artist finds inspiration in mink football helmets and claims a self-created swamp was one of his earliest pieces.

Barrickman will show swatches from his collection through May 10 at Riverwest's Flying Fish gallery, 800 E. Clarke St.

A Milwaukee enthusiast, energetic artist and most entertaining interview subject, Barrickman quickly became an OMC favorite in the creative world.

OMC: Did you grow up in Milwaukee?

PB: Yes I am completely a Milwaukee person since forever. I studied film at UWM.

OMC: When did you get into art?

PB: Well, when I was a kid I remember making a swamp out of another little boy's backyard while his father was asleep. Then I made food for my mother and she took pictures of it and then we tried to eat it. Then my friend Jenny Check, who lived across the street, was snubbed by another little girl, Martha Fox, who lived next door to her. Jenny went home in a huff and mixed all of the smelly things in her house together in a jar and went and poured it on the sidewalk in front Martha's house. This was sort of the original art scene in my life.

OMC: What genres of art are you into today?

PB: I like head shots of actors, film stills, paintings of shipwrecks, books about theater makeup and lots and lots of other things. I haven't answered the question. I don't really have complete faith in any genre except children's art and maybe aquarium sculptures.

OMC: Are you affiliated with any groups, organizations or cults? Weren't you a part of Pumpkinworld?

PB: Pumpkinworld isn't a group really, maybe it is ... shoot. I live next door to Riverwest Film and Video that used to be called Pumpkinworld but now it's a "John Ernst Café." There is a band room in the basement that everyone shares and also an editing room.

OMC: Do you have a day job?

PB: I'm an audio-visual specialist at the art museum.

OMC: Is Milwaukee a good place to be an artist?

PB: People are making records, making films and cartoons, running restaurants in their houses, having 26-hour dance marathons, starting their own fan clubs, writing stories, putting on plays and eating dinner in groups of 30. These are some of the reasons why Milwaukee works out pretty well.

OMC: 26-hour dance jams? I've been missing out ... Anyway, tell me about some of the art in your show, specifically the ones pictured.

PB: These wood cutouts of people are mingling on a shelf with other props and set pieces. I'm getting into pockets of drama that come from mixing these together with paintings. It may be a piece of a neighborhood from my brain.

OMC: Have you shown your work before?

PB: I've shown several times in Milwaukee. I also showed something in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Chicago.

OMC: How did you end up with a show at Flying Fish?

PB: Brent Goodsell asked me last summer and I said it was a good idea.

OMC: What inspires you to make art?

PB: Mink football helmets. Really, there are too many things ... I will pick one: Smart, excited people who are nice inspire me. This is totally true and I am not being a wise guy.

Flying Fish is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, or by appointment. Call (414) 263-9209 for more information or to schedule an appointment. The gallery will also be open for Gallery Night, Fri., April 25, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.