Artist of the Week: Derek Erdman

jason - Posted on 10 February 2010

What drew me to the work of Chicago's Derek Erdman is his ability to have fun and do what he loves. His work is topical, but always humorous and done is such a way that you can't help but smile. He takes pop culture and twists into something more. Maybe it is slightly off, or maybe it's dead on, regardless it is a statement and an image that captures a brief moment in the history of pop culture.

Whether he is making Morrissey paper dolls, renditions of baseball cards of portraits of political figure, Erdman is always having fun. Here was recently kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
Derek Erdman (DE): I think I'd call it simple and easy. I'd say it's dumb but not stupid.

OA: You almost feast on pop culture. What is it that draws you to icons, pop stars, and ad campaigns?
DE: Oh God, I dunno. I certainly like when things are overdone or awful. I'm often struck by things for what seems to be no reason. In a way, I'm able to turn my brain off when creating things or thinking about what to create. I prefer to be guided rather than trying to have my voice be heard. I don't have much to say, really. It just seems like something must be said.

OA: Where did the idea to draw baseball card images come from, and how do you pick the cards you recreate?
DE: The paintings were actually commissioned by Ronnie Deck, who is a pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles. He's a totally awesome guy, he got me into some White Sox games. I don't really like sports but I like going to games for the yelling. Somebody gave me a big box of sports cards from the 1980s and I really like to draw them. I learned to practice on things like that from Jason Polan.

OA: In your career you have released thousands of prints. Do you feel the need to keep track of them? Do you they hold a certain meaning or value with you?
DE: I've never really made prints, I re-paint certain paintings over and over. At one point I tried to catalogue everything, but it overtook the main point of what I was supposed to be doing. I don't think that they hold a certain meaning, but I do like to hear if people have old paintings. It's cute.

OA: Where did the idea for Kathy McGinty come from and what was the recording process like?
DE: My best friend Julia wondered if it would be possible to talk to people from chat rooms on the phone without really having to talk to them. She's the voice of Kathy. I rigged the sampler to the phone & recorder. It was great fun recording that CD, but we didn't think much of it while we were doing it, we just thought it was funny.

OA: What is your opinion of art in Chicago? Is it a good place for young artists?
DE: There is a lot of good art in Chicago and it's all over town. It is a cheap and wonderful place to live, which makes it a fine place for young artists.