Tag: commentary

“Shouldn’t the long term goal of any society be complete unemployment?” – Doug Stanhope, American stand-up comedian

I’ve come to realize that I never really wanted to work for anybody. However, the difference between somebody that’s unemployed and myself is that I have talent and a set of skills where I create things I can sell to people.

When I was younger I had dreams of getting involved in industries like comics or videogames. In college I thought I could go into graphic design and the advertising business. Then my tastes changed or things didn’t work out and I fell onto the path I’m on. As I look back at what my options could be, I see that I really wouldn’t be doing what I wanted to. Yes, I would be doing art for a living, but I would be part of a team that’s creating a product.

What I really wanted to do with my life as an independent artist is not a “real job”. It puts me and others like me on the fringes of society (not to mention it makes family members wonder when we’re going to grow up and get real jobs). By fringes I mean we’re not part of the traditional pattern of: attend college, earn a degree, and get a job with a company. We’re the rebels that get to sleep in, stay out late, work when inspiration strikes, and don’t have to answer to anybody but ourselves (except maybe somebody else’s lawyer occasionally).

While being an independent artist offers the freedom of not being a slave to someone, it comes with the frightening possibility of not having steady income.

In an ideal society people would live their lives as they wished. Any skills and talents they possess could be shared with others because it’s what they’re passionate about. A doctor would still help the sick and an engineer would still design machinery. A writer would still write and a dancer would still perform. We don’t live in a utopia though and we have to deal with the reality that we need money to live. To get money we need jobs. I’m sure a doctor and an engineer have very good chances of getting jobs they were trained for. They offer desirable skills that benefit society and are deemed important. I doubt a writer and a dancer are thought of the same way. Their chances of getting a job that pays regularly and also uses their talents aren’t as good.

Anyway, enough of that tangent. Let’s get back to me… (aren’t I vain?)

I might make sound like I’ve never had a job. That’s not true. After college I worked in non-profit arts administration for over seven years and did some freelancing on the side. Freelancing was often frustrating due to clients and arts administration is a different kind of animal than being an artist. Neither was as satisfying as doing the work I wanted to do. However, I didn’t go into this “job” without the security of having money saved up. The cliché of the starving artist is true and there isn’t a lot of money in art. Anybody who is crazy enough to be an artist without a day job knows this. Still, we are passionate about our work and want to play an enriching role in society. Sometimes the best way to do that is without any restraints.

This is the first drawing I signed as David de Lara. It’s pretty rough compared to where my skills are now, but not a lot has changed with my subject matter has it? I wish I knew what this is called though. I didn’t have it archived digitally and I didn’t write the title on the back like I do now.

The drawing is dated October 9, 2001. That means my tenth anniversary just passed. Other than doing a giveaway of ten prints in ten days on my Facebook page, I let it come and go without much fanfare. Throwing a big celebration would have been too much trouble and I felt it would be better to reward some of the fans of my work.

Although this was the first artwork I signed as David de Lara, it doesn’t mean that’s when I began creating art. Ten years ago I was already serious about wanting to be an artist and was in college pursuing my art degree when I started using the name. I’ll admit David de Lara is not my legal name. It’s a surname I adopted from my ancestors. Using it helped establish an identity that is me the artist. It’s almost as if it’s an entity that helps create a barrier between my personal life and my work. David de Lara tends to get away with more though because everything is done in the name of creativity. Sometimes it does get me in trouble (remember my near lawsuit?), but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So, here’s to ten years of being David de Lara. Let’s see what happens in the next ten.

Almost a week and a half ago I made a post that was a copy of a letter addressed to a lawyer. I didn’t explain everything at the time and it might have been confusing to many people. It appears things have settled down and this is my response to the situation.

I also recently found out one of the photos in question was selected to be a Daily Deviation on deviantART before I deleted it. So an image recognized for excellence will never be seen again.

“Die by the Drop”
acrylic, graphite & colored pencil on 24″x30″ canvas

You’ve seen the progress of this piece in a couple of previous posts (part one and part two) and those who follow me on Twitter or Facebook saw a nearly complete version late one night. Now “Die by the Drop” is done and ready to show.

This artwork went through quite a change from beginning to end. It started life as a photo and then turned into a painting. The original image served as a guide and model since I painted directly over the photo. It was a new process for me that I got the idea to do during a road trip a couple months ago. While I think it has a slightly different feel compared to how I normally create figures freehand, I’m pleased with the results.

Much of my artwork explores my psychological, philosophical, and existential thoughts and ideas. There are a couple of ways I look at this painting. One is melting away into oblivion and the other is trying to stay whole or be a complete person. In fact, I think it’s a combination of both. Also, since I originally used a photograph in this piece, it also deals with my ideas of distorting reality and questioning what’s real.

And here you thought I was all about naked girls. Well, truth be told, I do like them. However, one night I started developing a theory about my reasoning behind that which ties into my thoughts about existence.

I spent last weekend in Los Angeles. Thank your god it wasn’t this weekend when they shut down part of the 405 Freeway (although it didn’t live up to its “Carmageddon” nickname). Even I would’ve been a little intimidated to be going there during that time.

The purpose of the trip was to go to the art show I was in at 1650 Gallery. A couple of my photographs were selected for their “Exposed: The Contemporary Nude” exhibition. Being in out-of-town shows always gives me an excuse to travel. So I used up some airline credits, booked a hotel near Hollywood and Vine, and packed my bags for L.A.

Anyway, I spent some of my time in L.A. looking at art in a few galleries. I even got to see Tim Burton’s exhibit again at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (the first time I saw it was in New York at the Museum of Modern Art early in 2010). I feel like my style of art fits in with a lot of what I see coming from many galleries in southern California. So part of my agenda was to visit a few of those galleries. While I didn’t get to go to all the ones I wanted, I stopped by some like Corey Helford Gallery, La Luz de Jesus,  and Gallery 1988. I got to look at and study a lot of the artists’ work. I can see why these artists can be considered ones at the top of their genre. Not only are the galleries in an area where they can expose and support the artists the way it should be done (the shows I saw were nearly sold out), the skill and polish of almost all the art I saw was incredible. I was a little intimidated. Although it’s great and I’m appreciative that there are so many that enjoy my art, the neurotic part of me thinks I’m still nothing and I want to be at the level these other artists are at, both in terms of skill and status.

Also on the agenda for my trip was a photo shoot or two. While one model had to cancel due to menstrual issues (which is a first when it comes to reasons for cancellations), I was fortunate enough to work with Asphyxia Noir. I had seen her work around for a little while now. I enjoyed her look and fearless style and knew we could create some striking imagery. So she came over to my hotel suite one night and, while we didn’t get to everything we wanted due to time, we definitely made use of the location. Not only do I like to stay in boutique hotels because of their unique character, they make fantastic locations for photo shoots. I’ll post pictures from that session soon.

I only ran off to Los Angeles for a weekend and I’m back in Austin now. I’m finishing up some projects and I’m also gearing up to participate in Austin Fashion Week. So being home doesn’t mean I have to lament the times I had on vacation because there’s plenty going on here.

This past weekend I attended Creative Capital’s Professional Development Program. Arthouse brought them to Austin, Texas for two days of an intensive workshop for a group of twenty-four artists. My brian was reeling afterwards. (Although part of that has to do with waking up early to be there at 8:30 am. My body is not used to such an early start and was dead tired by 5 pm.)

Artists are the juicy and tasty life pulse of human culture. However, art can also be seen as the most important of the least important things in our society. Working artists have a rough time when they can be thought of as dispensable. There is a misconception that artists are their worst enemy when it comes to career skills. The truth is artists are rarely taught the business skills they need. The goal of the workshop was to show and teach artists that it is possible to sustain themselves entirely by their work. It covered aspects of strategic business planning, promotion, marketing, funding, and more. A lot of it reinforced ideas I’ve been trying to work on for my own business practices and also introduced some I hadn’t thought about.

The workshop left me with a lot to ponder. There’s what I’d like to do but then there’s what I should be focusing on more because it could  lead to better personal prosperity. There’s what I’ve probably been putting off or help I haven’t asked for. There are artists similar to me I should pay attention to and see what they’re doing. It can also be frustrating when I’m told I’m doing well at certain things and, yet, haven’t experienced desirable results.

What can put me in an even tougher spot compared to a lot of artists is that my work isn’t necessarily “safe”. The way I present women, whether they’re painted, drawn,or photographed, is often seen as sensual and provocative. My photography has great accessibility and receives attention. Even then, it usually fits in a specific niche. This year I’ve had (or will have) photos in three nationally juried nude or erotic themed shows and have some published in an alternative/fetish magazine.

I’m not just a guy who takes pictures of sexy girls though. My paintings and drawings have their fans too. The artwork captures more of myself and I see it as my true work.  However, it is in a difficult niche that’s close to dark and lowbrow art but not quite there. It’s been hard to find my art’s place in galleries and other spaces. Although I don’t necessarily need to have gallery representation, there is a prestige and peace of mind to it because it’s in both our interests to sell my work. Also, being in a good gallery can lead to more opportunities.

Don’t get me wrong. Those aren’t real hardships. There are goals I want to work towards and it will take some effort. I enjoy everything I do and get to live on my own terms. Being thought of as talented and knowing people enjoy what I create is humbling.

A few weeks ago Gabino Iglesias of the Austin Post interviewed me and it was published this past week (read it here). It’s a very nice read and Mr. Iglesias went beyond the basic, barely scratching the surface questions. He discovered my work after interviewing Miss Eva Strangelove (who made some very flattering comments about me and my art in the article). Then he familiarized himself with what I do before we met for the interview.

One question that almost caught me off guard was “What is sexy?” Honestly, I don’t intend to create or capture “sexy”. It just happens and I do what appeals to me. Sometimes, though, I feel words like “dark and sensual” that others give my work may end up hurting me when it comes to gaining broad acceptance. I don’t try to be edgy but what I do with the portraits and figurative work of women might give me the reputation of being too “dangerous”.

Most contemporary art trends being presented today seem to be more weird and quirky or highly conceptual. While I like some of what I see, those trends keep me out of the art establishment most of the time. Recently I’ve almost begun to think of myself as an alternative artist. Even though there are many people who like my work, I’m still on the fringe of the mainstream.  Although one could argue that the mainstream art world still has a reputation of being exclusive and not for everyday people and  that the art world is, in fact, not mainstream at all.

Some of my photography seems to have an easier time getting attention. Of course, on the internet, naked ladies will get attention no matter what. Views and favorites on DeviantART, reblogs on Tumbler, and search engine referrals will attest to that. Also, I used up Google AdWords credits recently and, due to the content, my site only appeared in adult searches. It can be somewhat discouraging because that’s not the audience I’m after. Of course, it does help my reputation of being dangerous.

I don’t let all that bother much though. I do what the hell I want. I’m glad somebody likes it and it gives me encouragement to keep it up.

Anyway, read about “The Sensual, Dark Art of David de Lara” on AustinPost.org.

(click to view larger)

“Rebellion/Subversion”
acrylic, graphite, colored pencil & china marker on 36″x24″ canvas

It’s seems  like it’s been too long since I’ve done a large painting. It felt good to go back into the studio, get my hands messy, and be focused on creating art for hours at a time. I posted a sketch of “Rebellion/Subversion” a couple weeks ago. A few things changed from that initial drawing, but the basic idea behind the painting stayed the same.

I think you could say I create dark and gothic art that sometimes has fetish or bondage overtones. Part of that is because I like that aesthetic. Another reason is that there is some symbolism and thought that goes into certain elements I include. The theme behind this is in the title. A collar can be used as control. However, people have the desire to break free of control although it can cause pain.

You can purchase a print of “Rebellion/Subversion” in my Art & Photo Print Shop. The original painting is also available for sale. Contact me for details.

From 2004: Wayward Fool
acrylic on 24″x30″ canvas

I wouldn’t show more than half the artwork I did during 2004 today. It’s just part of the natural evolution of becoming a better artist. However, it’s also partly because of each artwork’s relevance to where I am in life. Even if it’s not obvious to anyone but me, creating artwork often comes from a personal place. Wayward Fool is one piece that I feel stands the test of time. It’s not only because I liked how it turned out but also because it deals with themes I still work with.

I displayed it at the last show I was a part of and it fit in perfectly with newer work I’ve done. It’s funny though because I’m not sure if I ever showed when it was a newer piece. I know I cut it from a solo show I had in 2005. I remember someone told me they were interested in it after seeing it on my website and they were a little disappointed it wasn’t in the show. Oh well, I know I’ve exhibited Wayward Fool in at least one place. Now it’s being stored in my studio again, but it’s available if anyway wants to give it a good home.

While going through files a few days ago I stumbled upon an in-progress version of my digital photo manipulation “Affliction”. Since I bounced back and forth between Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter to create it, apparently one of the programs saved a backup. I thought it would interesting to share the progress from the original photo to the finished version.

I displayed “Affliction” at a show recently. I enjoyed looking at people as they viewed it and wondered what they were seeing. The idea behind its creation was to make a seamless integration between the mask and the body. I think the effect ended up being so subtle that people have to look closely to really notice what’s been done to the image. As you can tell, it looked pretty rough in the middle of the process. I spent several hours doing digital painting. I had to pick colors that went well with the original image. Then I blended them, taking the light source into account so the shading wouldn’t look unnatural. Finally I added a texture to avoid that smooth, clean digital look. It may seem like a very straightforward and simple idea but there was quite a bit of work that went into it.

You can see the complete piece in my photo manipulations page.