Spraygraphic Interview with Derek Weisberg
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
DW: My name is Derek Weisberg, I am 25 years old, I live and work in
Oakland CA (the right and bright side of the bay) I am a Bay Area
native. I have been making art forever, I am a lifer. I wouldn't know
what else to do, and cant really do anything else.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
DW: West Oakland to be specific, I have a live work space, really just a big cold dark garage. But I love it. Sometimes.
SG: What mediums do you work with?
DW: I primarily work in ceramics/clay. I know you are all thinking
about nice pretty pots, cups and stuff, no sorry none of that wheel
thrown BS, no offense to any potters out there, because I really think
there is some amazing functional work made and can appreciate it, its
just not for me. I also like to use a lot of found objects and mixed
materials with the ceramic. I also draw and push around some colored
stuff on paper but those are more ways to gets ideas out and exercises
to help with the sculpture.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.
DW: Working process? I could get real clay dork on you but I will
try to spare you, basically all the work is "hand built" (a ceramic
term used to differentiate from wheel thrown) made of coils of clay
attached and then sculpted. I usually work from both photo reference as
well as drawings. And sometimes I say forget that stuff and just go
with it and let the material do its thing. Then I glaze (color or
paint) the sculptures, then put it in a kiln and fire it. I re-glaze
and re-fire if necessary.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
DW: First off I love working! So if I get stuck I just keep working
and making, even if it all ends up terrible. At a certain point a
switch is flipped and something usually turns up. If I find myself
really really blocked, I hit the books, because I also love art
history. So I just start looking through lots of art books, and images,
etc.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
DW: Is it too cliche and vague to say everywhere? Really my work is
emotional and psychological self portraiture, so whatever is happening
in my life, however I am feeling is what I turn to, to use as fuel for
my sculpture. But maybe you want a more specific answer, I have been
looking a lot at ancient Greek and Roman funerary sculpture lately.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
DW: I have shown my work a lot in the Bay Area, LA, and CA. I guess
most recently I had a solo earlier this year at a really great gallery,
Anno Domini in San Jose, a two person show with my friend Crystal Morey at Young Blood gallery in ATL, an all Oakland artist group show at the important Di Rosa preserve
in Napa CA. I have work in the permanent collection at the Oakland
Museum. And it has been seen in other galleries nationally and
internationally including Mexico, and Germany. And finally I have a
page feature in BLISS magazine this month (page 46), check it out
SG: Where will it be seen next?
DW: Right now, I have a few things on my plate. December I will have
work at Anno Domini's Fresh Produce show, as well as this kind of
alternative space in Piedmont CA, that show will revolve around and
relate to the Winter Solstice. February, I have a solo at one of the
coolest and best spaces in Oakland, Rowan Morrison
, I am going to turn the whole gallery into a candle lit catacomb, with
over 30 sculptures. I am excited for it. And in the (not so distant)
future, May 09, a two person show at the legendary Space 1026 in Philly.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
DW: I always listen to music while I am working, always! and about
95% of the time its Hip Hop. For a while I have been dreaming about
collaborating with a musician or several. Combining hip hop with my
sculptures. In a way giving my visually frozen figures an active
auditory narrative or give them words. I want the feeling of an
innerness to the sculptures to relate and to share the feelings of the
music. It would give the sculptures certain "demanded" time frame,
which I think would be interesting. I guess in a sense it would be a
soundtrack to a series of sculptures and simultaneously (for the lack
of a better word) illustrations to the music. The viewer could walk up
to a sculpture, put on some headphones and listen to the music and look
at the sculpture, at the same time.
SG: What is your favorite color?
DW: I don't have one really.
SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?
DW: Too many to name, and it would take forever to list why.
Honestly, the list of my favorite artists range from 4680 year old
unnamed Egyptian sculptors to contemporary artists like my good friend
Percy Feils " But just to run a little list: MANY Ancient cultures,
Egypt, Greek, Assyrian, Medieval art, illuminated manuscripts, Fra
Angelico, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini, Rembrandt, Tilman
Riemenshneider, early Picasso, Stephen DeStaebler, Egon Scheile,
Giacometti, Clayton Brothers, Os Gemeos, Barry McGee, Phil Frost,
"Other". OOPS thats kind of a serious list, but I guess thats good
right?
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
DW: I really like reading, but I like working more and so that is
usually how I spend my time. And then when I do read (usually late at
night) I tend to read a little bit (because I fall asleep) of a lot of
things. So the books I have my nose in right now are: NY alternative
art 1965 to 1985, Julie Ault–Solipsist by Henry Rollins, The Golden
Compass, The Legend of Baal Shem by Martin Buber, Great German Stories,
Said the Shotgun to the Head by Saul Williams, Greek Mythology.
and looking through and reading bits of the Bernini catalogue of the show that was just at the Getty Museum.
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
DW: That is all I do.
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
DW: I love NY, but don't get to hang out there often. I don't really
hang out much, and don't really go many places. Basically I go to work,
come home and work in my studio. (its kind of a sad existence
sometimes). When I go out I usually go and see art shows, or music
shows, then back home. Lame I know. So I guess to officially answer
your question, my studio is my favorite place to hang out.
SG: Any final words of advice?
DW: Go to your studio and make stuff, everyday! Fuck what other
people say or think. Make your work the way you want because you have
no other option. If you feel like you have another option, great, take
it, make lots of money and buy my art or someone's art who you really
like. Peace, find Love and be good.
