Art

"All Night Music" by David Delamare. © Copyright David Delamare. All Rights Reserved. Paintings in this interview may not be reproduced in any manner whatsover. For further information visit David Delamare's Official Site: www.daviddelamare.com

David Delamare is an outstanding fantasy painter whose creations can be seen gracing canvas in museums, book covers, greeting cards, and on porcelain lamps. David paints breathtaking images of mermaids, angelical fairies and surrealist worlds that mesmerize the observer.

David was born in the U.K. and came to live to the US, Portland, Oregon when he was a child. He began to draw since then and has become a successful artist, illustrating numerous books and has worked with Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola. Lately David has surprised his followers, creating an extraordinary series of a nóir and sensual Cabaret visions, entitled: “Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts.”. The paintings transport the viewer to Paris in the Nineteenth century.

Artist Interviews had a very interesting interview with David Delaware and with his model and collaborating writer for his art books: Wendy Ice, to know more about their creations.

Interview by Marisa Darnel

Artist Interview: David, we would first like you to talk about your series “Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts.” The paintings are different from what you have done before. What inspired the book?

David Delamare: The topic of the stage show comes from my love of theatre coupled with what seems to be a genetic predilection by way of my influential grandmother Ida, who was a vaudeville performer in England. I have a faded sepia playbill of her in her heyday; performing a featured act called “Leg mania”. In her last few years she lived with my mother in Portland, Oregon (where I have lived most of my life.) On many evenings, against her doctor’s orders, we would spend the evening nursing a bottle of brandy and smoking Players cigarettes. I would listen to stories of the old days, on the “circuit” as she called it. I think these memories form the backdrop for a general theatricality in my work and possibly a catalyst for Animerotics specifically. The book is dedicated to her.

AI: The paintings usually feature an animal near the female character. You have mentioned that the animals have human characteristics. Would you explain that a little further?

DD: I would reverse the notion, and propose that we tend to imbue humans with animal characteristics. The vocabulary of animal attributes (both real and imagined) is easily exploited in both casual and dramatic contexts, a kind of short-cut to describing someone by referring to the strength of a lion, wisdom of an owl, grace of a gazelle, or curiosity of a cat etc.

AI: David and Wendy, how did you collaborate on the book "Animerotics"?

DD: Wendy acted as my primary model and my writing collaborator. She posed for nearly half of the paintings. By changing the lighting and her hairstyles I was able to make her appear quite different in each painting. Wendy came up with the story idea after the paintings were completed.

Wendy Ice: It was a very spontaneous process. One day I suggested that the book might have a story. David asked what I had in mind, and so I invented a scenario on the spot. David was enthusiastic and so we kicked details around for awhile and then I sat down to write. After awhile I gave my work to David and he wrote. We handed the story back and forth in this tag team manner until we finished it about three hours later. We then faxed it to the publisher and told him we had decided to reveal the “true” story behind Animerotics. We were joking, of course, yet everyone at the publishing office thought the story was true until they read an impossible reference to levitation. That reference is now gone and many readers (including one reporter) have been convinced that the story is factual. We had a tremendous amount of fun writing it and it worked particularly well because we are so similar in sensibilities, yet have different writing skills. The piece was probably stronger and more interesting than it would have been if either one of us had written it independently. With the mermaid project I’m on my own so it’s a very different book than David and I would have written together -much more serious in tone. Apart from the story in Animerotics I had no experience with fiction and wanted the challenge. Nonetheless I miss the fun (and relief) of handing it off and am looking forward to our first full-length collaborative project.

AI: Can you tell us about the new book of mermaids?

DD: The mermaid book will feature over one hundred illustration, most of them never before published. Some are full color “plates” such as the prints that Wendy publishes, but there are also dozens of sepia spot illustrations and drawings which should provide a lot of interesting possibilities for the book designer. We’ve been very fortunate to work on the last project and this one with Collectors Press, because they put a high premium on design.

WI: The text of the book consists primarily of one mermaid’s story. It describes the world that she inhabits and how she has come to be separated from her people. For me a mermaid provides a wonderful metaphor because she is visually divided. This reminds me of our own fragmentation and how being true to our own nature often leaves us at odds with our family or our community. In order to preserve relationships we sometimes allow our identity or “story” to become thwarted or lost. The book is about the challenge of holding onto one’s own story while allowing others to hold onto theirs.

When I agreed to write the book, I imagined doing extensive research on mermaid mythology. But immediately I realized how paralyzing this would be. I didn’t want to feel obligated to follow the traditions (which probably contradict each other anyway) nor did I want to feel that I couldn’t use a concept that had been used by someone else first. So I took the opposite approach. I carefully avoided reading anything about mermaids and invented everything from scratch (though there will inevitably be some accidental overlap with other stories.) In the end I decided to tell an entirely personal story without concern for the traditions or any imagined audience. The die-hard mermaid fans may complain about this, but they’ll forgive us when they see the illustrations which are gorgeous.

AI: You have been painting since you were a child. Where did you study, and how do you accomplish such fascinating paintings?

DD: My mother actually has a collection of books that I made as a child. I’ve never wanted to do anything else and have never had a “real job.” I studied art at Portland State University, focusing on painting, printmaking and graphic design. I generally work in oil or acrylic, sometimes combining the two. Often I begin with an airbrush applying translucent acrylics, then work the surface in oils with a brush. This method gives me a broad tonal range and also allows a variety of textural effects. Typically, I start a painting by working up “thumbnails” which are small, loose pencil drawings, typically about 3x4 inches in size. They establish the general composition, tone (value range), and light source. When I have a satisfactory thumbnail, I set up a modeling session. Because I favor very dramatic lighting and often demanding poses, photos work best for my purposes. When I have the reference photos I need, I begin translating the thumbnail to a traditional canvas or extra heavy mounted watercolor paper. Of course that’s only the craft. Whether a painting works or not depends upon a thousand variables which are mysterious and, to a degree, out of my control.

AI: How do you feel with the success you have received?

DD: I feel extremely fortunate and lucky to have reached a point in my career that allows me to make a reasonable living and pursue work that I find satisfying. For me, the ultimate success would be to work exclusively on projects that I’m passion about, regardless of how obscure or limited the audience might be. Fortunately, it appears that licensing projects such as books and prints may soon afford me that luxury.

AI: Can you tell us about your work with Francis Ford Coppola?

DD: I worked on production drawings for a film version of Pinocchio that Mr. Coppola was mounting with his independent film company Zoetrope. Unfortunately like so many film projects, it did not reach fruition. It’s fascinating to consider what Mr. Coppola would have done with the Pinocchio legend in light of Stanley’s Kubrick’s fascination with the subject and Spielberg’s ultimate version, A.I.

AI: Having fulfilled your artistic career, do you have any dream about your art that you would like to accomplish?

DD: I’d love to create a series of limited edition books. I’m also very interested in working in the theatre again. Several years ago, I designed the sets for the American premier of Trevor Nunn’s Peter Pan. Film is another medium that I would like to explore.

AI: What is a day in the life of David Delamare?

DD: I’m a very late riser. That means I’m up at about 11:00 at the earliest. If possible, I try to schedule meetings that require interaction as late in the day as is reasonable. First, because I like to acclimate slowly to the day and second, because I’m unpleasant company for the first few hours. I make an effort to work on something every day. I actually don’t tend to enjoy vacations as I become antsy away from the canvas and dread the painful process of reestablishing momentum. That said, I do enjoy thinking about a project or topic in a different setting. In fact, the idea for the Animerotics images came to me during my annual week at the Ashland Shakespeare festival. The amount of work I produce on a given day and the hours spend doing it, vary dramatically depending on whether I’m actively focused on a project (a book for example) or whether I’m hovering between projects feeling fragmented. If a project is going well I’m quite happy to work late into early morning hours. If I’m fighting it, I may only put in a few hours.

When not working I find myself hungry for those things that feed my artistic impulse-theatre, film, chamber music and conversation with friends. These are the easy, reliable elements. The challenge is to find grist for the mill in the tedium of the day to day, paying the bills, walking to the grocery store, or taking a trip to the dentist. Fortunately there is inspiration to be had even in these experiences. It’s always there, buzzing in the margins.

AI: Thank you very much, David and Wendy!

You Can Visit David Delamare Official Site at: www.daviddelamare.com