Painter, culture vulture, and Gawker artist Jason Chase is an American everyman. Like most of us, he was raised on a diet of TV shows and cereal. His mom managed the household while his dad brought home the bacon, and he went off to college and even did a stint in grad school. However, unlike most of us, his consumption of culture and the world around him manifested itself into some of the most peculiar visual art. But unlike the bulk of pop culture, Chase doesn't aim to mock his suburban roots as much as explore them and his role within that realm. The results are vivid and deceptively innocuous, but never shopworn. As an example, flip through This Book Can Be Used as a Flotation Device, his collaboration with Caryn O'Connell. Then check out our interview after the jump.