Dave Alsobrooks

Chasing What?

// March 11th, 2009 // Uncategorized

 

 

Most everyone is chasing a dream. Respect. True love. The most decadent tiramisu recipe. Something epic. Something. But what would we do if we ever caught up to what we’ve been chasing all along? Would we embrace our discovery and assume ownership, or become overwhelmed having not considered what comes next? Chasing Bear is a metaphor. It’s also the umbrella for my art.

My artmaking process has evolved over the years from an exclusively academic pursuit of painting to an interdisciplinary approach based upon my experiences in 3 areas: fine art, design and marketing. These three disciplines were pursued independently for a number of years, conveniently compartmentalized so as not to step on each other’s toes. At some point, the lights came on. I realized my experiences in seemingly disparate disciplines were relevant to making art and complimentary to each other. Obviously, training and experience with fine art is valuable for every artist. Design adds sensibilities to the mix such as distillation and planning. Marketing ushers in appropriate content generation and media avenues aimed at reaching certain audiences or tackling specific subject matter. An example might be a political protest or a more intimate showing of archival prints based upon an installation. This cross-pollinated approach keeps things interesting and evolving. Although not completely intentional, it seems I reinvent much about the way I make art each time I undertake new subjects.

As an artist, I don’t prescribe to any specific method or practice. I’m working within a philosophy of artmaking I call Materialism — I’ll touch on this later. As my subject matter changes, my audience often follows suit. I adapt my techniques and materials to suit my concepts and the viewers of my work. I employ painting, photography, design, collage, relief, sewing, etc. I also branch out with experimental techniques and materials, installations and ambient content. Really anything that makes sense and makes a point. Some of the pieces I’ve created marked the first time I used a medium. For example, bleaching a portrait from pinstripe fabric, using bed linens for typography or standing a painting in a pond for several weeks. The outcomes may have been unknown to a certain degree, but I embraced the results knowing the techniques employed were tied to the art conceptually. That part is really important to me. Life is sometimes messy and it’s OK by me for some of the art about life to reflect this. Everything is typically sequenced when I’m making art, so it’d be safe to say that process is the single most important aspect of my art. Except, of course, for concept.

As a designer, I aim to simplify things. Too much of design is crafted merely to look good — it’s painfully obvious how designed some things appear to be. Don’t get me wrong. Design ought to be beautiful. And everyone knows when something has been well-designed. But beyond appearances, design should work hard. I believe design wears a blue collar — or maybe no collar at all. Design communicates and is always relevant. For me, design channels higher concepts into accessible forms. An authoritarian scandal-ridden government figure is portrayed in telephone wires that eventually tap into a wall phone jack. “Um, someone is on the line for you.” Design helps determine what a new piece looks like, feels like, sounds like. But all of this happens within the context of “Am I helping communicate by doing this?”

As a marketer, my charge is always to communicate. In reaching an audience, a fine line is always drawn between entertainment and pointed messaging. Too much of either prescribes a failed effort. Experience in this area has helped me condense messaging into appropriate (not read politically correct) and meaningful content. I’m looking for a takeaway other than funny or cute or beautiful. Marketing has also influenced the vehicles for my artistic voice. No longer constrained to canvas, I attempt to reach new audiences in ways that suit them — and the subject matter at hand. I’m exploring books, online content, installations, user-generated content, merchandise, ambient sound, etc. and how these tactics can all work together to create more meaningful experiences. These are all on the table when new projects begin. When I wear this hat, I’m lucky enough to work with great people over at The PARAGRAPH Project. We call ourselves marketing architects. We keep it simple. And real. Our job is to combat the toughest problems facing some of the world’s most notable brands with truly innovative ideas. Be they traditional marketing challenges, kinks in a business model or anything else under the sun. Once we come up with the idea, we hire the best people in the business to execute the plan. We help progressive brands such as Starbucks, Target, Best Buy, ESPN and Pabst.

Everything aside, others might call me a dog farmer or just plain crazy. My wife and I cater to the whims of four dogs at home. A motley crew of rescues, each with a unique personality and inherent quirks, they are the perfect storm that keeps us on our toes. As if being at their beck and call were not enough, we started a non-profit organization called Bayou Rescue back in 2005. We provide disaster relief to animals and their caregivers locally (in the Raleigh-Durham area) and nationally.

All in all, life is good. I’m always curious, though, to bring something or someone else into the fold. That’s what keeps things interesting.

You can see a nice map of where around the world I’ve shown my work here. Click on the map sites for images and info.

And you are always welcome to send a note to make an appointment to visit me in Studio 138 at Golden Belt in Durham, NC.