For all of you Dexter fans out there, you may recognize some of Dave Lebow’s work from Season 6 of the Showtime hit, referred to in the series as the “Doomsday Tableaux”. Read more below about what inspires the Los Angeles-based artist.
Favorite material to work with?
I like to work in oil on canvas.
What themes do you pursue?
Right now I’m interested in interpreting Grimm’s Fairy tales, many of them are really dark. I recently explored images of Demons, Devils and Angels.
Click to see more of Dave’s work
How many years as an artist?
I’ve been an artist pretty much my entire life, professionally about 37 years.
Where is your studio?
My studio is a converted garage at my house in southern California.
Art school or self-taught?
I studied in art schools and I still take workshops from time to time and hope I am continually learning and improving.
Prefer to work with music or in silence?
I like to paint to music, mostly rock and roll.
Where can we find you outside the studio?
Hanging out with my wonderful wife, daughter and our new dog.
If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
I don’t think I could live without painting. I’d probably really get in a lot of trouble if I couldn’t paint.
Day job?
Besides selling paintings, I teach life drawing at Cal Arts in the Character Animation department.
What do you collect?
Besides art books which I have an addiction to, I collect weird objects, taxidermy, and bizarre insects. Things that might inspire a future picture.
Favorite contemporary artist?
I really admire the works of Gregg Manchess and James Gurney.
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
“The Raft of the Medusa” by Theodore Gericault.
Use anything other than paint?
I draw in charcoal and sometimes use sculpey and other modeling medias to create quick macquettess and miniatures for reference.
Is painting dead?
Quite the contrary, Realistic painting is on the upswing. We seem to be in a realist revival now. It’s very exciting!
Favorite brush?
I like Filberts and Flats.
Palette knifes?
I use them for cleaning my palette and mixing color.
Monet or Manet?
I like both of these artists but if I had to choose just one it would be Manet!
Seems like he has been around the block a couple of times. This is illustration though.. He shows almost no regard for the intricate workings of art.
Negative spaces, composition, colour, abstract understanding..I could go on..
The world certainly needs good illustrators…and well done on that point.
This is obviously my very objective opinion (not meant as an insult, as I see he is very technically proficient)
andrew
He’s more like a breed of artist that you rarely see these days and can be easily ranked alongside the likes of Boris Vallejo and Jack Vetriano. In my view, he’s the kind of artist that doesn’t get enough exposure or appreciation.
His work ignites fond memories of classic film posters and book covers that the public can relate to more. They speak a plain language without the high-brow bullshit that current mainstream artists ladel on their offerings. But at least we know that he actually applies himself to his work and doesn’t drone on about how it’s “all in the concept” like others do to the point of boredom.
The artworld will always refuse to accept artists like Dave Lebow, though. They’ll always be looked down upon and called “illustrators” A word used in an obviously derogatory sense, as if they’re a breed apart, inferior to real art. This is somewhat ironic when you consider how much of the “acceptable” artworld is quick to sell-out to commercialism now. At least an “illustrator” still earns his money honestly.
And “intricate workings of art” ?
There’s really no such thing. Perceived rules are easily broken by those who know how to break them and make them null and void. And Lebow seems to be quite adept at that
Illustrators tell stories, and thats what Dave is doing. Its actually closer to concept art than figurative art..as it is the story or concept which is the most important part of his expression.
Most abstract and figurative artists use abstract understanding of space, form and colour to convey their expression….but, in my opinion, dave isn`t doing this…he is just telling a story..like most conceptual artists do..without regard for the intricate workings of art, or, to put it another way “the abstract part of the equation.”
his work clearly blows.
You sound like you write for The Guardian.
Art is subjective. No one is ever totally reviled or totally praised. That said–Lebow references ‘The Raft of the Medusa.’ It too, like much Victorian painting, ‘tells a story’ like AndrewBarton says. Was Gericault an illustrator or a painter? Does it really matter? I do take umbrage that he is an illustrator since he has no regard for the “intricate workings of art.” This is such a biased, insuting statement that I don’t have room to address it. Needless to say, Lebow is easily dismissed because of his use of figurative paintings of myth and fantasy–which are lowbrow to most critics–despite the fact that they have been the topics of some of the greatest works of art’s history.
“Intricate workings of art”(abstract understanding of colour, rytm, composition and form)..if these factors are missing, it might be considered an insult to point that out…but they are, at large, still missing (be it by choice or not).
One could even argue that these “intricate workings of art” are non essential, when telling a story, they might indeed just get in the way.
This is the theory held by many conceptual artists at any rate. Idea/concept is king.,…all else is non essential.
I think they are mistaken though.
“This is the theory held by many conceptual artists at any rate. Idea/concept is king.,…all else is non essential.
I think they are mistaken though”
Now there’s a point we can indeed both agree on
.
THE CREATIVE WRITING CLASS
any one got any jokes
‘yes’
‘ive got one’
oh
go on sofie
‘i read it’
‘in the guardian’
‘this morning’
oh
sofie
you are brilliant
…..
i dunno
.
i wrote poetry for a couple of years
never cos i was ever interested in poetry
but cos i was a poet
i wrote maybe a thousand poems
each one a time truly captured
people would compliment my stanzas
compliment my prose
pissed me off it did
did that
now i do art
…
good stuff David
i wish for you all a wonderful 2013
..
you are brilliant
That’s got to rank as one of the maddest comments ever.
.
not for me to judge
others can
plain simple fact
he’s just a mad man
but
what do we know
of the things he’s seen
how did he get there
where has he been
not for me to judge
others can
plain simple fact
he’s just a mad man
but
what of his past
what’s he been through
why’s he so differant
to people like you
not for me to judge
others can
plain simple fact
he’s just a mad man
MAN
,,,
this could be good
a new year and that
,
.
Do you have a website Michael ?
.
no i dont have a website
was never really my thing
i did put some of the poetry out there
its not that difficult to find
ive not written for over 2 years
might give it another go some time
i do have 7 saatchi online profiles
as michael fitzgerald
silly that isnt it
18 months ive been on here
over a thousand pictures produced and posted
im still newish to the art thing 3 years or so
thought id give it a go
takes practice doesnt it
find the more i do the better it becomes
becomes all goody goody
like im sure those there people in the artistic know
say it should be
i think my very first attempt
at the paints/drawings/ doodles
back then there in malta in 2010
had a feel
almost everything ive produced since
has been habit
the poetry was differant
something else
.
no
i was thinking about it
last night
david
he never looked in mirrors
such a handsome lad
good hair
funny
full of laughter
a real charmer
girls adored him
boys wanted to be him
he wanted to be
some one else
some where else
so he left
early
too early
head first
off
a high bridge
his friends couldnt
understand
he always seemed so happy
but never looked in mirrors
it was a few months
after his death
the truth came out
now his friends
understand
what
it was all about
he left a note
this
is what he wrote
look at me
look at me
you bastard
you dirty old bastard
look at me
look at me
look me in the eye
come on
look me in the eye
dont be shy
look me in the eye
why fear
were all adults here
now
grown men
but
not then
no
i was just a child
.
.
What heart wrenching prose… Bravo!!!
.
‘yeah’
forgive that waffle
i know this sites about business
just got a bit carried away
like i said
a new year and that
..
wonderful artwork Dave
good luck to you
.
Excellent artwork there, Mr Lebow. I’m a big fan of Dexter and so it’s good to finally see the face behind all of those weird paintings. Keep up the good work!
Fantasy art has a huge fan club, please anyone who loves fantasy art and writing take a look at my husband’s book on amazon, magicianmanandbeast.com it is now on kindle for about $3, he has spent years on it and really needs some reviews, anyone can you help him please… He is now finishing a comic called Body and the Brain, he works full time in a boring job while doing all of this creative work at home. I have huge respect for how hard everyone works, you can’t judge so quickly as the world would be worse off without the variety, thank god fan clubs for all varieties of work exist. The consumer public are who keep artists and writers alive, the Internet lets them find the work they like, yeeha the Internet. Go Magician Man and Beast, and Dave Lebow, fantastic!**