Transcription of In Depth with David Drenth
Zelos: Zeloszelos. Zeloszelos Marchandt.
Tanya: Ok.
Zelos: Yeah. You can call me Zed for short. That can be easier for people sometimes.
[laughs] That's fine too.
David: Ok.
Zelos: Ok, alright, ok my equipment's working, let's get started. So, David Slate, am I pronouncing that name correctly?
David: Yeah.
Zelos: Ok thank you, thank you for taking time and thank you Tanya for arranging this.
David: Yeah.
Tanya: And this is David Drenth.
Zelos: David Drenth. Oh, excuse me.
David and Tanya: Yeah.
Zelos: Ok.
Tanya: Slater is the gallery.
Zelos: That's right. The gallery. Ok. [laughs] Sorry, forgive me.
David: That's alright. [laughs]
Zelos: It's been a busy morning already.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: So, I wanted to know how you got involved with art and how far back you go with being an artist.
David: Well it goes back to after I got out of high school, I joined the military. And then, I lost my military career because I got some head injuries while I was in there. And then, once I got out of the military, well, because of alcoholism, I was self medicating the head injuries.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: And unbeknownst to me at the time, I had PTSD, and I ended up all the way down on Skid Row. And I didn't really have anything going for me, I ended up getting in trouble. And I ended up in Lane County Jail here in Oregon and I didn't know anybody here. And I knew that I was looking at all this time here, so I basically out of desperation, and needing something to, you know, survive on. I basically just picked up a pencil and starting learning how to draw as good as I possibly could.
Zelos: Is that your primary medium? I received one picture from David Slater that seemed like scroll work and there was lots of like modern colors and shapes and sort of surrealism involved.
David: Hm, do you know the name of it?
Zelos: No, unfortunately I haven't... I planned to after we're done here, asking you like "could you send me some more, [laughs] some more examples and let me know what the names are?"
David: [laughs] Yeah, I don't have any of the...I'm not looking at any of my art right now. But I can see it in my mind's eye. One's named Screw, one's named, Till the Wheels Fall Off, and the other one is called, Bigger Pile, Smaller Shovel. It's juxtaposition.
Zelos: Alright.
David: K.
Zelos: Cool.
David: [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] I can't wait to see those, believe me.
David: Yeah, they'll be hanging there at the show.
Zelos: Oh, that's so exciting.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: So how long have you been at Oregon State Penitentiary? Is that where you're at now?
David: Yeah. I've been here since, well actually I fell in '84 so, I moved around through the system a few times. I've been at OCI where I took the college programs, and actually while I was at OCI, I took 27 credit hours in art.
Zelos: Wow.
David: I never knew I had any artistic talent before I even was arrested. So, I've never had the privilege of having a regular artist studio or anything like that.
Zelos: Well then that's exciting. The July exhibit coming up.
David: Yeah. Yeah, you can believe it. For me, it's just like wow. I'm blown away. I'm ready to do back flips. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] So this means its your debut.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: That is incredible.
David: I've had help from Nella Abbot down on the coast. And I've been on several shows down on the coast but this is the first major show I mean we're, it's right Downtown Portland basically.
Zelos: Yeah.
David: In Portland. Where there's lots of people.
Zelos: Well congratulations.
David: Well thanks. I'm really, I'm happy.
Zelos: I'm looking forward to the exhibit.
David: [laughs] I am too. I, I wish I could go.
Zelos: [laughs]
David: [laughs]
Zelos: How has your, how has your artistic style evolved? You started with those illustrations in pencil.
David: Yeah. I started with a piece of paper, just basically scratch paper, and a little blunt pencil. And just started learning how to draw whatever I could possibly think about what I could draw. I like to draw things like where I used to go camping up in the mountains all the time in Montana, because I'm from a small town in Montana, ya know.
Zelos: Nice.
David: And I draw like wildcats and horses. And grass, lakes, and trees. Wishing i was there instead of being where I was.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: And I would draw a lot of inspiration from other people like tattoos that people had, some of them were really, like almost scary.
Zelos: I could imagine.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: Or maybe I should say I could only imagine. [laughs]
David: [laughs]
Zelos: Has there been certain distinctions in your art as you continue to practice? Certain things that you see come out more technically?
David: Yeah. I've been inspired only through books and films and magazines. Whatever I could read. Basically, we used to be able to check out our books from the state library, and I used to get a lot of art books out of the state library and I got a lot of inspiration from Picasso.
Zelos: Awesome
David: Yeah.
Zelos: The picture I saw seemed very indicative of Picasso.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: But very, very not at the same time. There was lots of really jazzy colors and shapes and version. I thought that was really neat.
David: [laughs] Yeah. I also got inspiration from some of those Futurists. You know who they were?
Zelos: Yeah, well some of them, I can't name them all off the top of my head.
David: Yeah I can't either.
Zelos: [laughs]
David: But their art is just so phenomenal and absolutely beautiful to me.
Zelos: Yeah.
David: And I just got a lot of inspiration from looking at their art. And you know, and infused with Picasso style. You know, Picasso he came up with the cubism style.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: And so I got a lot of inspiration from the bright colors from the Futurists, and one of their manifestos was that they didn't really believe in the archival processes, right.
Zelos: Right.
David: So being that my paper is an archival, I just like well ok, I'm a futurist ya know sort of...
Zelos: [laughs]
David: Ya know, I get some inspiration from Salvador Dali as well as Ascher and...
Zelos: I can see that.
David: Rembrandt, and those guys.
Zelos: Nice. Who do you want to have see your art? It's your first gallery, first big gallery debut showing. As an artist, speaking of Futurism where you know, you're not...archiving is a thing of the past. It's all about the present and what's gonna happen next. Given your standpoint, who do you hope to see your art?
David: Well I hope people that are maybe having a hard time in life. And they might be able to see the juxtapositition between the sadness and the grief and the gloom and the doom compared to the bright side of things. That's what the bright colors represent. You know, there's always a bright side. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] There always is. There's always a silver lining somewhere.
David: Yeah there always is.
Zelos: [laughs] My pause was like, sometimes we might not be able to see it at the time but...[laughs]
David: [laughs]
Zelos: How did you...
David: That's...and not only that but when I'm doing my art, I like to you know, put a variety of objects or symbolism in there. Where people don't get bored with it. And they can kinda move around through it. And I try to invite the viewer in gradually or compassionately and allow them to, you know, take their time and view the art and then have a way out. [laughs]
Zelos: That's wonderful. I...that was what I came away with with the photo. And I'm gonna find out the name of it after we're done here and talk to Mr. Slater and say could you tell me which one it is because there is so, there is so much to see. It definitely seemed Salvadoran, there was lots of colors but it also kind of reminded me of tagging? You know, the street artists tagging. It was just, there was just so much depth.
David: Is it the one with the gears?
Zelos: Yeah I saw that one, yeah the one with the gears.
David: Yeah, that one is called Till the Wheels Fall Off.
Zelos: Alright, yeah.
David: Yeah. And basically it represents taking my case always the point where the wheels fell off.
Zelos: [laughs]
David: [laughs]
Zelos: I think we've all been there at one point or another.
David: I lost all my wheels. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] I almost...
David: There's a bright side to it.
Zelos: Yeah there is, it's positive.
David: I got [inaudible] two good eyes and I'm able to make cars.
Zelos: That's right.
David: Yeah and I got, I got a postal tube right now waiting on me when my next piece gets done. I'll be able to send it out. [laughs]
Zelos: Cool, what was the medium for...
David: So I'm hopeful about that.
Zelos: What was the medium for Till the Wheels Fall Off. Is that oil or acrylic or just pure straight...
David: Colored pencils.
Zelos: Colored pencils.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: Really?
David: Yeah.
Zelos: That is amazing. I couldn't, like from the photograph it seems like it could've been acrylic or something similar like watercolor because it was just so bright and so much detail.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: That's neat.
David: Yeah I used the sticks sometimes, the pencils. The witless pencils.
Zelos: Ah.
David: Yeah they sell them here a little bit.
Zelos: Neat. So how did you come in contact with David Slater and Gallery 114?
David: Well apparently he likes art brute style or the outsider art style.
Zelos: Uh huh.
David: So he was looking on the computer and he found my art and he thought it set the bills so he went and checked out my friend down on the coast who sort of represents my art. Nella Abbott. Who I'm very grateful to. And Victoria Tourney, you ever heard of her?
Zelos: Yeah I have.
David: Yeah, and she has helped me tremendously and they got me in contact. Yeah, they got me in contact with David and he found out that I have a way of emailing through this new MP3 or MP4 set up they have here at the prison. And so, I could send him emails and answer his emails.
Zelos: Cool.
David: So it takes me a while to do it but, I can be emailed.
Zelos: Great, I think I'll try to reach out to Nella and Victoria, it'd be great to talk to them.
David: Oh my god, she's a really, a really wonderful person. So is Victoria. They're both really nice people.
Zelos: Cool.
David: I'm blown away by how nice they are.
Zelos: [laughs] Well, you're a wonderful artist, you know, that goes a long way too. You, you have beautiful technique.
David: Well thanks. I, you know, I'm just so happy about being able to get my art out there and finally find some sort of a, you know, an outlet for it. Because it's really hard to do the art in here and then have the chance of it getting messed up if I get moved or something like that. With the art like maybe half done or 3 quarters done. Or just rolled up and sitting on a shelf you know. So the storage problem is, it's overwhelming. I mean, there's no way I could store it. So I either have to get the art done and then get it out of here as fast as I can or just don't do it. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] Seems like not doing it is not an option. You, you gotta make the art.
David: Well I ain't doing it now. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] You taking a break?
David: I have a, you know David's not...you know I sent so much to David that he was just like wow you're really fast. You, you know he's just really blown away by the art too.
Zelos: Mhmm.
David: And he was like, overwhelmed with how many pieces I sent him. And basically I sent more than he can even show. [laughs]
Zelos: Well, I hope I get to see it. Well I can't wait to see, I'll definitely get a team together to cover the exhibit.
David: Well if you go to the exhibit, please ask David if you can see the art that isn't being exhibited.
Zelos: Ok.
David: Because there's a couple of pieces I did. There's one piece and it really doesn't fit the art brute's style as outsider art style, you know. That's what our art is called. Art brute in England.
Zelos: Mhmm.
David: In England, or in Europe.
Zelos: I definitely will ask him that. Now that I know that he's holding out on me. [laughs]
David: Well yeah. Our art style's called art brute right?
Zelos: Yeah.
David: And apparently they're writing books about it and everything now.
Zelos: Oh yeah. I was actually just reading what was more of a literary...I can't remember the, I'm sometimes really terrible with names believe it or not. But there's a, a turn of the century author who was all about brute - literary arts.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: And it's been kind of fascinating to me. We're gonna be wrap-
David: This psychologist over there in Europe. He was into art. And he's seen the art from some person who was in a mental institution. And he was like, he threw his hands up in the air and said wow they're better than me.
Zelos: [laughs]
David: You know, and that's really humbling for an artist to have, you know, to admit yeah there's somebody better than me. And believe me, there are lots of other artists that are better than me. [laughs] You know. So I'm really really humbled by that aspect as well. Because when I see somebody that's better than me, I'm ready to throw my hands up in the air too and just say yeah they're better than me. [laughs]
Zelos: Everybody's got a little different style. We have a - just a couple more minutes before I've got to let you go. But I wanted to ask a couple slightly more personal questions. Has your art changed the person, culture, where you live today? Has it changed the world that you live in do you think?
David: I don't know, I don't really understand the question. Has it changed...
Zelos: Yeah, do you think that having...and here I guess I don't know whether you practice solitary or not when you're making your art or whether you've got, you know, access to like people can get together and make the art. But having access to art, do you think that's changed prison culture?
David: Yeah, I, I don't...well...you know, yeah I think it probably has. I think it definitely has. Because I don't think we used to really have that much access to art or the ability to get our art out of here than back in the...you know, maybe back in like the 1940's or 50's.
Zelos: Mhmm.
David: Maybe even into the 60's or 70's. I don't know if they had access into getting their art out of here as much. Or art supplies and things like that. I know they didn't have, definitely didn't have emails. [laughs]
Zelos: [laughs] That’s for sure.
David: I mean, for me to be able to even get in contact with David Slater like I have is absolutely imperative that I'm able to email him. Because he's so busy. He could never take a phone call. You know what I'm saying?
Zelos: Yeah.
David: So he has to be able to have his own time to be able to read my email and then answer it in his own leisure. And then I, I basically have that sort of a lifestyle too where I'm busy and then when I get a chance, I'll email him back and I'll plug into the kiosk and send an email to him. So it works out perfect.
Zelos: That's great. Do you, and here I wanna ask, I think it might be an even more personal question. Like, what is freedom mean to you and do you think art has changed your feeling about what freedom is?
David: Well for me, I'm locked up bodily and physically, but mentally while I'm doing my artwork, I'm very free and I'm on my right brain mode and all that. But it also gives me hope for the future. And possibly I could have an art career someday.
Zelos: I, I'd say you're already there. You're on your way.
David: Yeah I hope I am on my way because, I mean, that's where I put all my eggs you know.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: Besides in music, I play music as well but I'm, I'm basically a visual artist you know.
Zelos: Ok, well as we - as we close is there - is there any hints for what you might be illustrating in the future? Or have you gotten that far yet?
David: Well, I got...see, basically I get like a lot of sayings from being in prison. There's a lot of colloquialisms.
Zelos: [laughs] Ok.
David: Ok, so there's a lot of colloquialisms and basically I collect colloquialisms and I write them on a piece of paper when I hear a good one, and then I fashion the art around that.
Zelos: That's really cool.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: That's cool.
David: Yeah but sometimes I'll work opposite and I'll just do a composition like, David has two compositions he's not showing in the art show. But they're really nice. Like one's a bubble composition I call Walking on Eggshells right? But it's really, it doesn't have any, you know, art brute style to it really at all. But it's, it's a bubble composition where like the flat plains of cubism are juxtaposing with bubbles and gradually changing into bubbles. It's more like an Ascher type piece of art.
Zelos: I can't wait to see that. I really am going to as soon as we're off, call him or write him and say "so you have more art you haven't been telling me about?" [laughs]
David: Yeah I do, I do. And yeah..and you know I like to put like also oxymorons. Like "flat round."
Zelos: [laughs]
David: [laughs] And like you know Bob Ross?
Zelos: Yeah.
David: He used to call it a happy accident right?
Zelos: Happy accident, that's right.
David: Yeah, so I figured out ways to make oxymorons in my, you know, into painted or compose it right into my drawings. And but basically I came on it by happy accident. In the words of Bob Ross.
Zelos: [laughs] I love it. I love it.
David: Hey, he's one of my inspirations. I love Bob Ross.
Zelos: [laughs] I watched him pretty religiously growing up. Yeah I watched him religiously every day.
David: Yeah.
Zelos: Are the-
David: He was a fantastic painter and I wish I could use oils and you know I, I wish I had a great big canvas that was thirty feet long by twenty feet high and be up on step ladders or whatever. Even like a, them... a rolling type scaffoldings or whatever they are that, that, I forget what they call them. But they're like the cherry pickers, you know.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: You know, little cherry pickers.
Zelos: Mhm.
David: When you could get up on it and roll along and do the art.
Zelos: Mmhm.
David: I'd love to do that but I'm in here.
Zelos: Well
David: I gotta work with whatever I have so basically I just have to look at the bright side of things.
Zelos: Well I love your art, and
David: [laughs]
Zelos: Just thank you again for taking time and, to talk with me and our audience about your awesome gallery showing and about your process and about your thoughts. And all of the above. Thank you very much.
David: Well thank you for interviewing me today.
Zelos: You bet, you have a wonderful day.
David: You too.
Zelos: I will, bye.
David: Bye.
- KBOO