NHQ EVENT: Without Wax

Derek Erdman has made a reputation for himself as something of an accidental artist, someone who never meant to become one but simply fell into the role; like how he had fallen for a painting of a sheep in a stairwell, but after stealing it, decided to return the original and instead teach himself to paint the sheep. This story is Derek’s answer to any question on the origin of his art.

Derek tells a lot of stories. Nobody knows which are the jokes, which are the lies, and which are true. It’s the same with his many paintings: who is to say if one is funny or ugly or beautiful? Therein lies the reality: nobody knows for sure. And this is why Derek and his paintings (and his raps, and his blog, and his fortune-telling hotline, and his mail-order hamburgers, and his comics, and his Facebook posts, and his eBay items, and his Craigslist ads) are so appealing to so many different people. Each one is like an inside joke. Or lie. Or revelation.

But Derek is not concerned with our interpretation. He’s too busy pumping out paintings, packing and shipping eBay items, illustrating record and magazine covers, grooming his websites, documenting his work, processing invoices, and accounting receipts. For Derek, being an artist isn’t just about making art.

WITHOUT WAX installation. Front room. Photo © NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 2010.

“I’d be just as happy making sweaters as I am making paintings.”

This is Derek at his most effacing. But so what if Derek traces pictures of Nell Carter topless and sells them on the cheap? His entire oeuvre is comprised of quickly and cheaply yet thoughtfully composed products, each one bearing Derek’s trademark sense of humor and empathy. He mastered the craft of a simple style, one that is recyclable and sustainable. Yet there is another layer to his work, one which many artists would dismiss as necessarily compromising, unless that artist is a rapper (and so he is).

“I’ve always been very financially responsible, even as a youngster.”

OK… Rappers aren’t known for financial responsibility.

Maybe Jay-Z put it best: I’m not a businessman / I’m a business, MAN.

WITHOUT WAX opening night. Front room. Photo © NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 2010.

“I grew up in poverty. My mother was a drug addict. I had to save up enough money to pay the electric bill every month. I’ve always been good with money. I like to have stability. I was a real weirdo as a teenager, Gragz.”

Derek told me a couple weeks ago, over spicy marinated rib eye at San Soo Gab San.

“I like to see it as a big game. Some people might call me an Entrepreneur, you [Angeline] might call me a Hustler, but I like to think of myself as just…knowing how to play the game. I like to have fun.”

I continued to listen intently, as Derek does not make a habit of talking seriously about anything.

“I’ve got to take this to the next level, Gragz. I’ve got to work harder. When I get to Seattle, I’m going to lay low for two years, do good work, and then get noticed.”

WITHOUT WAX opening night. Main room. Photo © NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 2010.

In a “game” where so many fail to make a name, let alone a profit, the mass reception to a successful artist/entrepreneur might otherwise be feigned disinterest, or jealous disregard, and often petty disgust. But in the age of D-I-Y, Derek’s attitude is irresistible.

Before Derek became a purveyor of paintings, raps, advice, and all the rest, he bought a failing record store in Hyde Park. In what must have been early proof of his creativity and market cunning, he gave it a makeover, curated a better selection, and two years later sold it for a substantial profit. This was not only the impetus for becoming a professional painter, it was the fiscal foundation. Doing what you want is always a risk. It never hurts to be prepared.

It wasn’t “dreaming about becoming an artist”. It was a much simpler: how to stay independent. How to make money.

Most artists would cringe at the thought of “making art for money.” There is an expression for this type of ideological compromise, it is called:

“Selling Out.”

But if you go to Derek’s Facebook profile, you’ll read four little words in the box below his avatar:

“Just give me money.”

You might, if you like, think that’s a joke.

WITHOUT WAX installation. Front room. Photo © NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 2010.

Although he’s primarily known for his paintings, it’s not the medium that matters: each of Derek’s creations is a little piece of the thing which normally he keeps off display: himself. It’s his wit, his ideas, his take on the state of affairs. And you can have your piece, for as little as $5.00, if you ask Rap Master Maurice.

His success is self-made, just like his website: www.derekerdman.com. In the business of art, Derek’s work ethic gives him a decidedly competitive edge. In the art of business, hard work has never been a secret.

So if he’s so successful, why is he clearing out, and leaving Chicago? Rest assured, it’s not a matter of giving up on art, painting, or anything else.

“I was getting too comfortable, Gragz. I wasn’t as productive as I was when I first started painting. It was becoming too easy.”

Just when you think he’s all business… come words spoken like a true artist.

Derek Erdman is moving to Seattle to continue to refine his style, to cultivate new ideas, to write, to host a radio show, to withdraw from society a little bit and to do without some of the comforts he’s been able to enjoy as an established artist in Chicago. Eventually, he wants to buy a house. “I’m a nest-er, Gragz.”

New risks = new rewards, for Derek and his fans. But he’s not as capricious as his art would make you believe. He won’t be discontinuing his most popular products. He’s still gotta think about that bottom line.

“If some chubby white guy from the suburbs wants a painting of Ice Cube in an Orioles Cap, that’s great! I’m more than happy to make it for him.”

WITHOUT WAX: 14 Years of Derek Erdman in Chicago took place Saturday, August 14, 2010. Nearly all of the 238 paintings on display were sold on opening night. More photos on Flickr. Visit derekerdman.com to keep abreast of All Things Erdman (ATE). Friend him on Facebook. Follow him on Twitter.