William Schaff is not a man to shy away from some of the weightier matters of life. Throughout history, life has thrown us some heavy ones, and it continues to lob them at us at regualr intervals. I suspect it things are not likely to change anytime soon. Neither do I suspect that this resident of the smallest state in the union will cease to dive headlong into the arena of topics many of us would just-as-soon leave lay undisturbed.

Whether depictions of Holocaust victims or skull-faced beauty queens, it is obvious that you are not afraid to tackle subjects that we as humans can’t help but have deep feelings about, and in turn tend to guard them most heavily. If how people might react to your work plays into the equation at all, what do you weigh out in your mind as you consider addressing an issue?
I guess the first thing that might get me to address an issue is how heavily it weighs on my own mind. So much of my time spent in the studio is me figuring things out. Things that I find difficult to speak about in social settings.
Also, to be honest, I am just not as articulate as I would wish when it comes to addressing certain things, and I find working on something visually often helps me figure out how to say things I want to orally.
You have been compared to a modern Goya. How does that comparison make you feel?
Makes me feel a heck of a lot better than if I were compared to a modern day Bob Ross. I think Goya’s work was fantastic, powerful and poignant. So to have such a comparison made is very much appreciated.