Sit Down With Our #090 Featured Artist

Derek Overfield

Instagram / @derekoverfield
Featured Artist / #112 ScrawlrBox 

Derek Overfield creates powerful and expressive figures that would feel at home in both the ancient and contemporary world. His style is rooted in the passions of antiquity, while being refreshing and raw in its modernity. His figures are relics from a more heroic time - fragmented and mysterious. 

Energy and vitality are dear to him, so he crafts works of immediacy that display a balance of precise control and gestural abandon. Devoid of ornamentation, they are instead simple and spontaneous; minimal, yet compelling. 

His work brings with it a bold and heroic presence, a one-of-a-kind and unique experience. Similarly, he feels honored to be a part of the age-old tradition of figurative art. Collectors of his work partake in that venerated tradition as well. They too celebrate the primal yet divine nature of mankind, the potent and strange force of humanity.

Figurative art has always been a part of Derek’s life. Before he could read the words on the page, he was immersed in the dynamic figures of comic book art, learning the unique language of the body. In college he began to work from life models and pore over books of art. In life drawing class, he met his future wife, the painter Lauren Batiste Adams, and their mutual love of art has taken them on many trips together to see timeless figurative art. 

Derek’s work has been shown in numerous competitions and exhibitions, and was featured in Drawn From Life: Tips and Tricks for Contemporary Life Drawing by Helen Birch.  You can find his work featured on art and design blogs and in the homes of collectors around the world. He is currently working on an online drawing course, check his website and Instagram for updates. 

Your work is stunning! So, where did it all start?

Thank you, and thanks for selecting me to be a featured artist! I’ve always enjoyed drawing but while studying art in college I acquired a deep love of drawing from observation. I worked from still-lives and the landscape, but found my true love was drawing from a live model. Also, at this time - and with the help of dedicated instructors - I began to embrace a more gestural and expressive approach. This love of the figure and observation have come to define my work, and I’ve never looked back.

What do you find the most challenging about the creative progress?

I find a worthy challenge to be keeping timidity and caution at bay during the drawing process. If I’m not vigilant, I can lapse into an approach that – in my estimation - lacks the energy and intensity that I feel the figure deserves. I strive to stay sensitive to the naturalism of the figure, faithfully depicting weight, proportion, movement and form while also being aware that what I am creating is a drawing and not a mechanical reproduction of a figure. Embracing our artistic humanity can breathe life into the fixed drawing.

Is there an end message or underlying theme with your work?

Yes, reverence for the figure and figurative art. I feel strongly that a drawn figure should bring life with it – a divine spark - and not manifest as an inanimate and quiet thing. Rather, a depiction of the figure should possess its own vitality.

The movement you create in your work is powerful, is that something you strive for in your creations?

Absolutely, and I feel one way to capture movement is through energy in the drawing process. I should stress though, that this energy must be present at the start of the piece and sustained throughout the drawing process. If one attempts to add energy at the end of the drawing process, the movement can come across as inauthentic.

Do you have a favourite collection or piece you have made?

To be honest, not really. I try not to look at my work in that way. If I let myself become attached to certain pieces, I fear I may lose the boldness I’m striving for. For me, it’s always what’s next? In other words, my favorite work is always the next one I’m about to do.

What is your favourite surface/canvas you like to work on?

I love drawing on all types of surfaces. For instance, white paper really emphasizes the contrast with charcoal, but toned paper like the blue paper in this box is very rewarding too. Toned paper allows me to incorporate that toned base into the fabric of the figure. Of course, when it comes to drawing, the best surfaces have sufficient “tooth” to hold onto the medium.

What is the best piece of arty advice someone has ever given you?

Regarding drawing from observation, a wise professor once told me “There’s beauty in truth” and that concept has served me well and informed much of my work.

We can see your classic inspiration, are there any other influences to your work?

I’m very much a student of art history and the figure’s role in culture – both past and present. For instance, I love comic book illustration and sports photography too. To me, athletes are living examples of the figure’s potential, of what can be achieved through dedication and talen

What do you love most about working with mediums like the XL Derwent blocks?

I love the painterly quality of the Derwent blocks. They have such a soft and velvety texture without a lot of dust. They work well with the compressed charcoal as well.

What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?

I think there are no typical days in the studio to be honest. Most days are filled with some combination of creating work on paper or canvas (or sometimes both), preparing surfaces – like cutting down paper or preparing canvases (building wooden stretchers, stretching and priming canvas) – packing up orders (from large to small), photographing work, creating detailed item listings, corresponding to inquiries, updating social media, and reacquainting yourself with your inspiration. All these actions carry their own reward and make the studio process a new experience all the time.