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Derek Yaniger lives his art. When I e-mailed him to ask if he’d share his retro work, he replied, “What’s buzzin’ cuzzin’?……That sounds like a hoot!” This caused some self-reflection on my part: Have I not achieved my artistic ambitions because I don’t live my art, or because I do? Whatever the answer, it can’t be good. Fortunately, Derek has agreed to answer a few of my questions, so perhaps I can learn from his experience and expertise.
Who is Derek Yaniger?
I’m just a guy who’s been makin’ art as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little crumb-snatcher, I’ve been diggin’ art. I knew by the time I was 12 that creatin’ art was a one way ticket to Flipsville. I’ve been really lucky to be able to reach most of the goals I set for myself. Right outta school, I copped a squat at a studio in Atlanta crankin’ out crappy ad art for everyone from Wendy’s to Home Depot. It was a fire-breathin’ hell on earth. Those were my dues-payin’ years. After three years of pencil pushin’ for the Man, I landed a gig scratchin’ out art for Marvel Comics. I dug it like crazy, but after awhile it just wasn’t flippin’ my switches. Next stop: Cartoon Network. I spat out buttloads of art for ‘em for the next four years, but it still didn’t fry my peanut. It was then that I decided to dance to the beat of a different bongo and print my own folding green.
Why do you create?
Why do da’ fish swim? Why do dem’ damn birds fly? Creating somethin’ from nuthin’ for me, is almost a religious experience. The days where I don’t get a chance to make art, even if it’s just a pencil scribble, are a real drag; a solid bring-down. After wading through the daily mountain of e-mails and returned phone calls, I can’t wait to grab hold of a pencil or brush and make with the Van Gogh routine….Go Van Gogh!
Camp Burlesque
You are a contemporary artist with a distinctly mid-20th Century aesthetic. How did you discover this retro sensibility within you, and how have you found that such an anachronistic style enhances or restricts your modern artistic voice?
ANACHRONISTIC?!?…Where’s that damned thesaurus when I need it?
I’m a pack rat of epic proportions…have been ever since I was a young-un. Right before I split for college, I hid boxes of all my old toys and crap in the attic of my childhood home. After graduation, I crawled up to retrieve my dusty treasures, only to find my Mom had sold everything at a freakin’ garage sale. I think my insane collecting of all things retro started right then and theresville. Every piece of art I spew is a desperate attempt to hold on to all those things I dug so much as a kid. My artistic voice is enhanced whenever I meet a fan who digs and gets what it is I’m tryin’ to do. I want everything I create to transport people back in time. My artistic voice is restricted when I have those crap-tacular days when I just can’t make it happen. If she don’t end up lookin’ like somethin’ you’d find on the cover of an old jazz album at a flea market, then she gets the heave-ho, daddy-o.
Alcove Arts Tiki Postcard
Your art celebrates a subculture of tiki gods, hot rods, and pinup girls. What’s the name for it (Retro? Tiki? PolyPop?), who belongs to it, and why?
I affectionately refer to it as “Retro Highway Robbery”. Picasso once said “Immature artists imitate, mature artists steal.” I steal.
I think everyone who lives with a love of retro does so for the same reasons I do. They dig it the most, to say the least. Old hipsters like the memories it brings back and the young chicks n’ chucks like it cuz it opens up a whole new world for ‘em.
Dig Them Crazy Treats
How would you define a successful artist? Have you achieved your own definition, or is there more to be done?
Like most artists I know and dig, success ain’t measured by how much cabbage ya’ harvest. The days where I feel the most successful are sometimes the days where I make art nobody would pay squat for. I’ve long since givin’ up on pleasin’ others with my art. I gotta be happy with it above all else, and if others find it diggable as well, then that’s just extry gravy.
My thanks to Derek for sharing his work. Please be sure to visit derekart.com to see more of his art.
If you would like to share your creativity, or you’d like to suggest someone for Show Us Yours, please send an e-mail to share@yorkrules.com.
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