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123 Chestnut St., 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.citypaper.net
tel: 215-735-8444 ext. 221
conducted by: Ashlea Halpern Associate
Editor
CP:. Do you currently
or have you ever formally or casually studied
vintage
cheesecake? If so, how has it influenced your
style of work? (Likewise, if
you're 100 percent self-taught, what is your
reaction to those older
works?)
-DG: I have always admired
the vintage pin up style since I first found an
old calendar from the 50s in an attic when I
was a kid. In later years I have looked up
similar works from the likes of George Petty,
Vargas, many in that genre to artists of today
like the camel cigarette girls and pop artist
Niagara. I am mostly self taught although I did
attend the Art Institute of Philadelphia for a
few years I learned true skills on my own by
freehand drawing (not tracing)from photo
reference or simply making it up as I go. I
have been inspired by the poses of the early
pin up but not necessarily the painterly look.
Thats were a pop art perspective comes in with
color.
CP: Many of your models
(all those lovely kittens, barflies, lonely
hearts, punk rockers, goths, rockers, psychos
and upstarts) could pass for old-school pin-ups
--- they've got tattoos, but whatever, you know
what I mean. They're gritty and curvy and all
sorts of hot. What is it you find most
appealing about these women, particularly in
working with them as models/artistic subjects?
What do they have that other models
don't?
-DG: Most of these gals
have real integrity and can break a mans heart
in pieces if you get too close trust me ha ha.
They seem to be more appreciative and admire
creative work I mean some may be tattooed with
inspiration something meaningful to them
personally. Many of these girls have a mind of
there own and can think and challenge
themselves. I have never found the Barbie doll
esque all American plastic silicon girl that
intriguing.
CP: In a culture and
society that's swamped with sex --- and not
just Internet porn, men's-mag lite like Maxim
and Stuff, music videos, basic TV commecials
--- is it difficult or challenging to
illustrate the female form in a provocative
way? Is it still possible to use art to
titillate without the art being pornographic in
context? Or is that not the point?
-DG: Too much eye candy its
overwhelming today. Sex Sex Sex its already on
our minds enough but visually it can burn us
out I could be a hippocrat for saying that.
With my illustrations I tend to keep it subdued
more clothed. There is a cornucopia of
pornography to keep people entertained.
Blatantly unveiling everything at once is too
easy. I still feel the less you see the more
you have to use your imagination. Art can
definitely be stimulating a tease if you will
and can make you yearn for more.
CP: You've worked with
countless models. What makes a good
pin-up-style model? Any dream subjects you'd
love to paint?
-DG: I work from a lot of
photo reference sent in from various subjects.
A girl that can capture that perfect pose that
makes you growl like an animal inside does it
for me. Currently Masumi Max, Scar13, are two
that id love to illustrate, there are many more
some locally.
CP: Although classic pin-ups of the Lupe Velez,
Louise Brooks or Jayne Mansfield stripe
arguably have more clout/fame today than they
ever did before (making appearances on lunch
boxes and in documentaries and on mass-produced
posters at IKEA), they're also saddled with
that vintage kitsch factor, i.e, yes, they're
beautiful and collectible but nobody *really*
looks like that anymore, nobody *really* finds
this stuff hot --- it's just something nice to
hang above your sofa. This seems sad and
somewhat false to me. As someone who collects
old cheesecake mags and vintage lingerie, I
don't think the pin-up need be a lost art,
having been replaced by Jessica Alba and Carmen
Electra types. Or maybe I'm missing
something... maybe 50 years from now, people
will look at Jessica Alba and Carmen Electra
the way I look at Hedy Lamarr or Pola Negri.
What do you think?
-DG: Its sad but the
mainstream is always last to really know whats
cool and do only what they know how to do with
it mass produce and create a fad. But they will
never know whats true. 50 years from know I
dont see as much of a tomorrow so cherish what
your into now because the faster paced the
world gets and the easier it is to do common
everyday tasks with technology the more people
loose interest in whats real and classic. In
the land of Mrs. Potatoehead girls these days
media hype and plastic surgery are becoming the
forefront of todays Americana which is very
scary. A more positive example Rachel Varla put
out Varla magazine (named after Tura Satanas
character in Faster Pussycat Kill KILL) it the
late 90s or 2000 which I thought was perfect
music and pin ups real girls reinventing pin up
photography, its in the last issues now but
very refreshing to see someone do something to
keep pin up alive.
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