Derek Ayres (American, b. 1967) currently works and lives in Philadelphia. Trained as a sculptor (MFA, Columbia University), he draws inspiration from a suburban Texan Gen-X childhood to make paintings that interface emotions and memories of youth with imagined realities.
Derek recently completed a residency at The Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, and his work has been exhibited at venues including P.P.O.W., New York City; ZieherSmith, New York City; and Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia; among others.
"Right now, I make mixed media paintings on paper using varying combinations of watercolor, gouache, charcoal, acrylic, graphite and ink. I think of them as psychological interiors, vessels where I get to blend the remembered, the present and the projected. Formally, they are architectural interiors populated with layered, 1970s domestic objects, pop-culture, musical and art historical references. Some blend vanishing point perspective with geometric abstraction. Others blur the distinction between the indoors and outdoors. They all traffic in loose allegory and quasi-narratives. Raised as an American kid in suburban Texas, I find certain activities, objects and brands from my youth spark emotion and trigger memory. I use these touchstones from my past to build layered visual metaphors. In these pictures, these things are arranged in cool, vibrantly colored rooms to suggest the ecstatic state of a focused daydream. These images speak of the intersection an imagined ideal and where it meets everyday life – family, commitment, maturity. Overall, these paintings are the disintegrating center when reconciling the past with the present state of being an artist, spouse and parent. I am excited by this work and hopeful for the places it will lead to."
Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.
I grew up in Houston, Texas, in a classic 70's latchkey, single-parent household. My childhood was filled with Saturday morning cartoons, TV shows like Ultraman and I Dream of Jeannie, along with BBQs, tater tots, and church on Sundays. I loved the green grass, bikes, and the freedom of playing outside and drinking from the garden hose. I also enjoyed the occasional horseback ride and even had a dirt bike when I was a kid. It was an expansive, wide-open space kind of childhood, and I miss it a lot.
My first art class was through the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, which had a studio program for kids. My mom took me there, and it was a lot of fun, but at that time, we were living in the suburbs and weren't really set up to engage with fine arts in a serious way. After moving from Houston to New Jersey, I met a close friend who introduced me to new interests. I had been raised on classic rock and muscle cars, but when I first checked out Surrealism, Dada, Duchamp and a couple of Calvin Tompkins books on post-war American art, it opened my eyes to a new world and set of possibilities. It was a pretty boilerplate suburban awakening. I was gone. I switched my major from pre-med to fine arts and transferred to Rutgers University, where I pursued degrees in visual art and English. There, I met a mentor who introduced me to sculpture and imbued in me a respect for craftsmanship. Rutgers’ legacy of Fluxus artists encouraged an experimental approach to art, without a strong focus on career paths or the market. I pretty much bit that apple, sometimes to my detriment.
After Rutgers, I went to London and had a studio there for a year, which was fantastic. I created some work and had a show in Berlin featuring fabricated metal and wood sculptures integrating found objects.
Returning to the U.S., I joined Columbia’s graduate program, which helped refine my approach. I tried to pursue an art career in New York City, but it was pretty challenging to maintain. I went on hiatus and didn’t resume making art until I moved to Philadelphia. There, I started a family, found stability in my personal life, and, for the past few years, have been consistently making art for the first time again.
What kind of work are you currently making?
Right now, I’m working on medium-sized paintings on paper using a mix of water-based media, including gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and ink. These pieces start as architectural interiors but evolve into psychological spaces for my purposes. In these paintings, I stage an interplay of objects and motifs from both my childhood and present life. I also incorporate elements of idealized private spaces, such as aspirational furniture or a sense of spareness that is difficult to achieve in my current life. Additionally, there is an undercurrent of taste—whether in art, interior decorating, kitsch, or music—and how taste evolves or remains static. This creates a tension between what is perceived as ironic and what is seen as sincere.
These paintings emerged after a hiatus from art-making and an eventual shift to 2D work. Although I was trained as a sculptor, I could not reconcile sculpture with working in a tiny basement studio. To adapt, I set some parameters: the materials needed to be non-toxic, easily stored, and manageable within the confines of my home, where I live with my wife and daughter.
After my break, I began with doodles and sketchbook work, posting these daily online to re-establish a regular practice. These doodles gradually evolved into more developed drawings. Watching Exit Through the Gift Shop, I was struck by a Banksy painting of a Nazi officer sitting on a bench by a lake. The stark juxtaposition sparked an interest in a low-key, quasi-surrealist approach, which I still employ in my current work.
I started incorporating guitar amps and guitars into small, gauzy watercolor landscapes, creating scenes with elements like beaches, woods, and cliffs. Music has been a significant influence on my work, as I have played in bands since middle school.
To get some footing, I began watching instructional watercolor landscape videos by middle-age English artists geared toward Sunday painters on YouTube. As for technique, I’d say mine is pretty wanting, so I take a McGuyverian approach, employing every technique and hack I can on the spot to construct the paintings as much as I paint them. Despite my background in sculpture and limited painting experience, I decided to dive into it full stop. I found the process endearing, funny, accessible and engaging in a way I could push hard into something else. Eventually, the amp paintings established my basic approach and led me to look at some of the 70s New Imagist paintings, sparking a flip from exterior spaces to the interior spaces I am working on now.
What is a day like in the studio for you?
I experience fluctuations in my productivity, running hot and cold. When I’m fully engaged, I can achieve flow and it’s what I live for. I begin my day with a cup of coffee, honor my longstanding tradition of “Miles in the Morning” (listening to Miles Davis), and dive straight into work. I can work uninterrupted until the rest of the family wakes up. After that, I go through the morning routine and take my child to drop-off. I then return to work, usually being productive for about four or five hours with breaks for meditation, food, and exercise.
Sometimes I run cold, and I struggle with procrastination, rumination, and distractions, particularly from the internet. I use time-blocking techniques with varying degrees of success. It often feels like a constant push and pull. I strive to start each day fresh with no regrets and a measure of gratitude, pick up where I left off and keep pushing forward.
What are you looking at right now and/or reading?
Right now, I’m reading Modern Art and Popular Culture: Readings and High and Low, edited by Kirk Varnedoe. It’s a companion book of essays to the High & Low exhibit at MoMA from 1990. Although the exhibit was widely panned, it influenced me. I just got the book used, and I think it's terrific.
In terms of romantic art-world history page-turners, I recently finished Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel and The Slip by Prudence Peiffer. I’m also extending my one-man book club that focuses on female rockers, with Lucinda Williams’ autobiography – Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I told You: A Memoir.
Christian van Minnen and Kirsten Deirup are two painters working now that blow me away.
Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)
Website: www.derekayres.com
Instagram: @derek_ayres_art
Current exhibits:
"Converge" at Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia through August 3.
"Open Call 2024 at MePaintsMe.com - through August 21.
"Sound & Vision" at Cultureworks, Philadelphia through October 21.
Upcoming exhibits:
"Kindred Spirits from Another World" at Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, August 1-25. "Rogues' Gallery" at DVAA for The Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2024, September 5-15.
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