Artist Profile: Dave Alsobrooks

Artist: Dave Alsobrooks
Business name: The PARAGRAPH Project
Location: Durham, NC

Websites:
The PARAGRAPH Project
Dave Alsobrooks

How do you describe your work, Dave?
I describe the current vein of my work as Materialism. Partly because I never had an -ism and thought maybe it was time, but mostly because the materials I use help me tell stories. In my work, particular materials help represent specific subject matter. So I don’t use cornmeal or telephone wires because of their texture or line quality. I use them because I’m talking about hushpuppies or wire-tapping. Typically, the imagery in my work is very much simplified, allowing our cultural associations with different materials to bring the stories alive.

What is your creative process like?
Somewhere along the line an idea will hit me — ideas can come from anywhere. I’m not necessarily trying to come up with a new idea — I’m just on my way to the grocery store. So then I make a bunch more trips to the grocery store, to the DMV, home for the holidays, etc. 6 months might pass. Or even a year. All the while this little idea is stewing in my head. I’ll write things down as time passes along. Some sketching. Some words.

By the time I’m ready to pull materials together and execute work, I usually have about
10 pieces firmly visualized in my head. It’s at this point that I’ll begin an intense production period. That part of the process is usually pretty efficient. But the creative process is always a bit messy for me, so some things change. Generally speaking, though, finished work isn’t ever too far off from the way I conceive of it beforehand.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
For years, I pursued art on the side. Then one day, my wife and I quit our jobs, sold our house and headed for the hills. Literally. We spent two years in the North Carolina mountains where I made fine art a primary pursuit. Without those years, there wouldn’t be the foundation of work that I’m building upon now. Also, being involved on a daily basis in marketing and advertising has helped me communicate more effectively through my art. A lot of designers, for example, fall into the trap of making exquisite work which
no one can read. To me, that’s unfortunate. For the designer and the community. I used to make these academic, abstract paintings that no one could really relate to. I still like those paintings, but these days I choose to make the messages in my art more apparent. I want there to be a takeaway that’s more than beauty.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My Mac. Power sander. In that order.

What inspires you to create?
A lot of what I’ve done recently has been a reflection of the world around me. Not always in a lofty national or global view. Sometimes, the view is my neighbor’s yard. And his decision to put something in his yard that I find to be of particular interest. So I find inspiration in the creativity of others. How they approach their lives maybe more than what they “create.”

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The realization that those times typically lead to some sort of breakthrough, be it large or small. That, and I’ll change the music I’m listening to.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
It’ll sound cliché, but you really just have to keep making art. And progress won’t fall in your lap today. Or tomorrow. If it does, consider yourself lucky. The other advice I’d pass along is to soak up the work of other artists — pay attention to how they solve (or don’t
solve) design issues, color issues, execution issues. Allow their work to make yours better.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I’m a partner at a marketing firm called The PARAGRAPH Project in Durham, NC.

What’s your favorite comfort food?
I love making risotto. It’s important that I chop everything up myself and take my time. That is, if I have the time.