We were lucky to catch up with Dave Tarby recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The focus of this project demonstrates the unique value of the artist’s skills (in working with his preferred
material of spray foam), while delivering a strong message about the evolution of this country, evoking deep
emotion and reflection from the viewer of this work. This mural is packed with extremely intricate detail, ranging
from the frame replicating the back of a one dollar bill to the graphic assassination of President JFK, amongst
many other details illustrated and sculpted into this masterpiece. The artist uses his mastery of spray foam to
create his distinct and sometimes outlandish style of sculpture.
“In God We Trust” A declaration engraved into the currency of a country, establishing itself with a separation of church and state, a mandate written into the First Amendment of it’s own Constitution. This statement is just the tip of the ice berg, in representation to the hypocrisy demonstrated by its government on a regular basis, claiming to be the “Land of the Free” where most occupants are unconsciously enslaved to the system and money that perpetuates its power.
Before discussing the topic of freedom in this country’s current state of affairs, I would also like to highlight the foundation of “freedom” this country was built on. European colonists came to this land, initially not to discover a new world, but to increase the power and resources of an old one, seeking new routes to Asia, exchanging imports from China and India, and seeking other resources this new land had to offer. These colonists, not only began to inadvertently steal land that was not theirs, while claiming “rightful” ownership, but they viewed the Native people as “godless heathens” who needed Christianizing. Religious conversion was seen as the first step in the process of “civilizing” Native people in European fashion – thus eliminating the threat the Natives posed to colonization. Europeans generally interpreted cultural differences as evidence of their superiority to Native people, both morally and in practical matters of daily life. The belief of Europeans in their superiority enabled them to justify claiming Native land and imposing their social and economic systems on Native people. The sad truth to the history of this “free country” is that it was founded on a genocide. Those migrating from Europe, on the quest to freedom, eventually convinced themselves that consciously slaughtering & enslaving hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children was a necessity because the land they desired was occupied. The Native American way of life was considered “wrong” to colonists because it was different, and instead of choosing to understand their beliefs, which could have resulted in a major positive evolution, these early settlers dismissed them, while manipulating relationships to gain trust. Colonists befriended Natives offering new weapons never before seen, supplying them with an upper hand to take over rival territories on their Native land, and when there were no more rivals left, it was too late for them.
This would be a good transition into the man who secured himself a spot on the twenty dollar bill, Andrew Jackson, “perhaps America’s worst president and the only one guilty of perpetrating a mass act of ethnic cleansing.” “By clearing the Cherokee from the American South, Jackson hoped to open up more land cultivation by slave plantations. He owned hundreds of slaves, and in 1835 worked with his postmaster general to censor anti-slavery mailings from northern abolitionists.” “If that weren’t enough, he was a war criminal who suspended habeas corpus and executed prisoners for minor infractions during his time as a general in the War of 1812.” “Andrew Jackson deserves a museum chronicling his crimes and dedicated to his victims, not commemoration on American currency.”

This country, the country we consider to be the “Land of the Free”, was built on the genocide of one race, facilitated by the enslavement of another race, while simultaneously implementing a judicial system that would consider this means of acquisition to be criminal and punishable by its own law. The Native American in this mural, mirrors the stance of Andrew Jackson, symbolically representing the struggle imposed on their race, by leaders like himself. A bloody tear drop slowly falls from the eye of the warrior, as his peace pipe is replaced by the gavel of the new systems implemented, rendering him powerless with resentment and contempt, faced with one of two choices: to flee his home, or die fighting for his land, his family, and his honor.
As we fast forward through time, I reflect on this history, and observe how it has unfolded to this present day. We live in an illusionary state of freedom, enslaved to the taxes shoved down our throats, the rules we agree to, and the boxes we put ourselves in, in the name of that freedom.
Between, Federal Tax, State Tax, Excise Tax, Property Tax, Taxes for Roads, Tolls for Roads (even though we pay Taxes for them as well) on top of a Sales Tax for anything we want to purchase for ourselves, with the money that has already been taxed, the average American doesn’t even receive half of the money they earn, after it is all said and done.
Our money is being taken, we certainly do not control, or even necessarily approve of the resources it is funding, and our voices are not being heard. Our needs are not being met, and the freedom is conditional. In the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. This country was supposed to be a land for the people and by the people. The school systems, the political systems, and the social systems have been designed to brainwash us into thinking this is not only the best way, but it is the only way to remain safe, secure, protected, and free. This mural is shining light onto the level of high end manipulation that we experience from our government, sadly depicting the reality of a society being trapped as prisoners of a system that we originally created, ironically enough, to escape this very fate.
To make matters worse, both democratic and republican parties representing our government, not only refuse to take responsibility for economic crisis’ in this country, but they take it a step further & have brainwashed the masses to turn on each other, convincing the average person who is buying into main stream media, to blame those that identify with opposite parties for the issues this country faces. People are literally committing physical acts of violence in the name of one party over-powering another. We have the audacity to call ourselves the United States of America, as many citizens proudly and defiantly identify with either a Republican or Democratic Party, isolating themselves from others that do not share the same point of view. The energy between the masses of common people could not be more divided.
As we continue life using the currency that was created for us hundreds of years ago by the “Founding Fathers” of the country, further introspection reveals they may have been onto something with the words inscribed on the back of this dollar bill, despite the religious implications. All human beings are flawed, and regardless of qualifications, when given immense amounts of power and control, no human can fully be trusted. As we have seen with presidents like Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal, power corrupts people. When an ordinary human is given such immense power, they are presented with choices. And even when some people choose to use power with their best intentions, such as JFK, greater forces of power come along, and demonstrate the reality of it’s magnitude. His assassination was the most thoroughly documented crime in American history, revealing shocking facts, timelines, & secrets over the course of many years following, ultimately reinforcing this notion that regardless of the situation, when it comes to giving human beings power, whether it is a presidential title, or an elite government organization such as the CIA, no human beings can actually be trusted, leaving this mural titled with a timeless truth:

IN GOD WE TRUST

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been creating all of my life, and over the past 7-1/2 years in particular, I have been fine-tuning my unique
signature style, using Great Stuff Spray Foam as my medium, to create over-sized sculptures & three dimensional
murals with content jumping from the canvas. Despite a lack of formal artistic education, my curiosity of the
creative process, fueled by my persistence and passion, certainly separate me from most. As an emerging artist
working with a material most artist’s have never even thought to explore (in the capacity that I have), I wanted
to make sure that I would not release any work until an ultimate mastery over this skill had been achieved. After
thousands on thousands of hours of practice in fine-tuning my craft, I am finally confident in allowing the public
to soak in the juicy fruits of my labor. I believe I am bringing something unique to the table , with value that can
not only be appreciated, but penetrated into the soul’s of art enthusiasts across the globe.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In the summer of 2017, my apartment had become infested with rats. Once this had become evident, I removed a few ceiling tiles to assess the situation, and discovered dozens of rodents bouncing around the grid like it was Studio 54. This was out of my realm of expertise, so I hired an exterminator to help put an end to the commotion in the ceiling that had been keeping me up every night. Once we had managed to poison this unwanted community of pests living in my walls and ceilings, it was up to me to use my construction background to handle the rest. Due to the severity of the situation, I was forced to demolish the existing ceiling and walls, in order to remove the dozens of rotting carcasses scattered throughout the cavities of my home. I must have escorted 50 or 60 to the dumpster throughout this process, clearing all unwelcome energy from my space.
At this stage of my renovation, I noticed a lot of mold growing on the cobblestone foundation, along with many uninsulated pockets of moisture and air leaking into the basement. I purchased a few industrial sized spray foam kits, and sealed the mold and moisture back into the cobble stone. Once this was complete, I needed to use a smaller-sized, hand-held, spray foam gun, (designed by the company “Great Stuff”) to seal all of the nooks and crannies. I get goosebumps thinking about the first time I picked up that gun & discovered the feeling I received while using it. This material was so fascinating to me, and the changing textures throughout each second of the curing process filled my mind with endless possibilities of creations that could evolve in utilizing this tool and this material!

DISCOVERY
At this time, the apartment was still in the demolition phase of my construction. When I was spray foaming the corners of the ceiling, I had hung plastic sheeting to protect the flooring. At one point, the plastic sheeting had fallen, yet it was still stuck to the ceiling from the spray foam. I had mindlessly been playing around with a heat gun, and I began to shrink the hanging plastic with this heat gun. Watching the plastic shrink from the heat of the gun filled my body with a satisfying feeling. I equate it to how one of those stress-relieving apps make you feel, allowing you to watch textures change, somehow stimulating a sense of calmness throughout the body, while quieting the chatter of the brain. That feeling I get sitting around a camp fire, watching the wooden logs burn into the sky. The flame takes over, leaving my brain mesmerized, liberating my spirit to tap into the raw energy of the present moment. I let this feeling take over, and before I knew it, I had shrunk the entire base of the perimeter of plastic sheeting, hanging from the ceiling.

A VISION
As I stepped back, I was spontaneously illuminated with a vision. I was gazing at the spray foam, oozing from the cracks of the ceiling, while the hanging plastic started to resemble the perfect shape of a magnificent tree. I had always been connected to nature, and had a bit of an obsession & fascination with trees, in particular. As I stood there, creating my new environment, post “Rat-pocolypse”, all I could hear was logic and reason screaming at me in my head, “DAVID JUST FINISH THE JOB, STOP COMPLICATING THINGS,” This was the voice of the mind. The voice of reason. I had just overcome months of misery in the process of this rat removal, and living in a half-renovated construction zone did not make my life easier. I knew a venture like this would not be easy, and I also knew I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew is what I felt when I sprayed that gun, what I felt when I shrunk that plastic, and the vision I felt in that moment.

REALIZATION
I realized how similar the spray foam texture was to that of bark on a tree, and this vision just took over my entire being. I know the responsible thing would have been to just finish the renovation, and then after, maybe I would have time, someday, to explore this opportunity, but for me, that’s not how I operate.

INVENTING THE WHEEL
Pursuing the completion of this vision would be the biggest challenge of my artistic experience. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what needed to be done. Essentially, this part of my process was like inventing the wheel for myself. This is something no one had done before this time, meaning there was no one to learn from, and no blueprint with what to do. I became a pioneer in using this material to create, rather than just to seal air gaps in the crevices of a window or foundation. I made my own rules. I paved my own path. This is what life is all about to me. Freedom.

SPRAY FOAM 101
I took this time to hone in on my craft, and learned how to really sharpen this skill. The first part of my process began with spray-foaming the plastic, hanging from the ceiling. The heat gun allowed me to manipulate the plastic into the shape of a tree, in my mind. The base curved in, and then branched out into the ceiling. I covered this with spray foam, and within 30 minutes, this flimsy plastic sheet became a hard surface, in the shape of my intention, while also resembling the texture of a tree. Wow. I was so far from anything resulting in a completion, but this moment filled me with so much excitement, hope, and determination to take this to the next level.

UNDERSTANDING MY COMMITMENT
As I mentioned, this was my “inventing the wheel” part of my process. I was using this as an opportunity to really understand what I could do with the gun, how I could clean this tool, and how I could yield different results by using it in different ways. I learned that ranges of curing times from 10 seconds to 30 seconds to 2 minutes to 5 minutes could all allow me to achieve different results. Thousands of hours were put into the creation of this tree, teaching me to unleash the full potential of the creator in me. This tree is a representation of my evolution, my growth, and my success, as a human being and as an artist.
I always tended to start big projects, while never finishing them. Maybe it was my pursuit of perfectionism that got in the way, or maybe I just never had a clear enough vision. This was the first time in my life that I not only felt interested to create, but I felt a hunger that needed to be satisfied. It felt like there was no other option for me.

LIVING CONDITIONS
On top of learning this new skill, my living space and creative work space were two in the same. This created so many obstacles along the way for me. I did not have a place to come home to and relax, and I was not living in a clean environment. This certainly took a toll on my mental health.
For more than a year, my apartment was taped off in plastic, while loose screws, saws, blades, and toxic materials were scattered from wall to wall. My daily attire consisted of a hazmat suit & a respirator, while my days were spent working around 16 foot cedar panels, dividing the area of my 18×16 space in half, as there was no other place to store them in the harsh New England weather. The constant delays I encountered on this journey inevitably prolonged this uncomfortable way of life for me.

WHY STAY COMMITED?
I would have epiphany after epiphany, and in honor of this vision, I would have no choice, but to adjust my process, move forward with another delay, and sacrifice more time in the name of bringing my vision to life. This was not easy for me. This was not convenient for me. My living conditions were already almost unbearable, but this was bigger than me. For the first time in my human experience, I felt like I had purpose. I am not quite sure what that purpose was specifically, but to me, doing this, tapping into this creative flow, letting go of all the rules, surrendering to the unknown, and trusting the universe, fueled the fire in my soul. People would ask me, why are you doing this? This is why. People asked me how I would make a living doing this. To be honest, I really don’t know of that will happen. All I know is the feeling I get when I do this, and that is worth more than any paycheck I could ever receive. I believe that if I stay focused on my creations, my life will unfold exactly as it should.

PURPOSE OVER PAYCHECK
No, I did not have a paycheck waiting for me at the end of this completion, and yes it did cost me my life’s savings to complete. The problem with the world we live in, is that if we are not receiving financial compensation for our efforts, most lose desire and motivation to achieve their goals. A big moment for me in my artistic journey was letting go of the attachment to money, in regards to why I create anything. I finally realized that this mentality disturbs the final result of creation. How do I get past this attachment? I have learned that the only attachment I should have when it comes to my art, is on the focus of creation.

LOGISTICS
As time went by, the tree really came together. Eventually, the base of the tree was standing with a 7-foot diameter. I had built a column, in the middle, secured it into the beam on the ceiling, and installed a TV mount to the column, allowing the Tree to function as the entertainment center. Before any panels for the ceiling or walls were installed, I wired a surround sound Bose speaker system throughout the space, hard-wiring all ceiling mounted speakers to the amplifier in the middle of my entertainment center. Along with the high-end audio entertainment system installation, I also wired security cameras throughout the tree, disguised in the branches, hard-wired to the main server, which was also located in the middle of the tree, housing all of my low voltage equipment.

OFFICE VISION
My vision became clearer as time went on. The tree was in the corner of the room, emerging from two walls. One wall was pressed up against the foundation of the house, while the other wall connected to my closet. With the 7-foot diameter of space inside the tree, I decided it was the perfect location for my office. All I had to do was knock down the wall in my closet, and I would have access to the inside of my tree. At this point, the space could not have been more insulated. No rodents could even come close to sneaking into my home again. However, all this protective insulation got me thinking about ventilation and how it is an absolute necessity, especially if I was going to be using the inside of this tree as my work space.

VENTILATION
I then installed duct work through the basement window, into the center of the tree. I discovered the branches for the duct work were actually the perfect shape to mold the branches from the base of my tree. I then installed supply and return vents inside of the tree, to provide proper circulation and breathability, along with additional vents outside of the base of the tree, to provide the same treatment throughout the entire apartment.

UNFORSEEN CONDITIONS
Once the duct work was installed, I was ready to seal the tree, and then knock down the closet wall to gain access to the private control center for all my electronics. I felt like I was so close to the end, and it seemed as if most of the obstacles had been overcome. What should have been a 2-hour process of demolishing the wall to gain access to my control room, turned into another 4-month ordeal.
Once I tore the sheetrock down, a double-layer brick wall was revealed. This shook my world for a minute. I had to take a step back. I literally just spent a year of my life, all of my money, and all of my resources pursuing this vision. Access to the control room was imperative. The expression “so close, yet so far” could not have been more applicable. This was not only a major inconvenience in terms of labor, but it was also a structural issue as well. This brick wall was part of the foundation, stabilizing this house. Smashing the double layered brick wall, along with removing all of the bricks and debris from the basement, was an extremely meticulous process that required much thought and patience. In order to preserve the integrity of the house, this section was temporarily supported, and then a steel lintel was installed across the top section of the opening, resting on two new columns, to distribute the weight evenly. This was the last major obstacle in the creation of the Tree.

AS ONE CREATION IS COMPLETED, A NEW ONE BEGINS
After 18 months of teaching myself this skill, I was finally ready to put a bow on the tree, and move onto to the next piece. At this point, I had really learned how to freestyle with the spray gun, and also learned how to manipulate the foam at different intervals of the curing process, to achieve the desired results intended.
As I got deeper into the creation of the tree, I began sculpting hidden sculptures within the branches, inspiring myself to come up with new ways of raising the bar with this skill.

THE GODFATHER
Now that I really had my skill dialed in, I really wanted to challenge myself. At this time, the movie, “The Godfather” was really resonating with me. There was something about the “heavy lies the crown” concept that I respected and admired at that time. This inspired my next piece. I was yet not sure the direction of meaning I wanted deliver with this piece, but I knew the foundation would be sculpting his face, and that was all I needed to know in order to approach this new challenge.

FINE TUNING THE TECHNIQUE
Over the next 6 months, I began to tackle this new project. As I evolved, I learned how to fine tune this spray foaming process a bit more. Once I was done freestyling my sculpt, I would take different blades and saws, and I would begin to carve intricate details within the crevices of the face. Once I achieved the desired shape, I would then use spackle, (used in construction to patch drywall), to seal in the pores from the shaved spray foam. Once I sealed the shape with spackle, I would sand down the roughness, until I had smoothed out the surface. I then apply a coat of liquid rubber to this sanded down, spackled surface, and allow that to dry. This leaves my sculpture with the shape and texture necessary to deliver the creation of my intention, ready to be painted.
Due to the extremely challenging intricacies & details presented by the human form, I decided to put this piece on hold, while I was on the pursuit of perfectionism in my skill.

SCULPTURE MEETS MURAL
Now that I had the tree under belt, and I had spent half of a year, learning new ways to express myself in approaching the details of the human form, the wheels started spinning with what I could do next. At this point, I found myself very intrigued with painting portraits of presidents. As I began painting the faces of presidents from different denominations of money I had in my pocket, I felt inspired to embark on a new journey with this medium. At this point, I had only worked on sculptures, but at this time, I found that I wanted to deliver a bigger message with a mural. This is when I had the idea to combine the concept of a mural and the concept of a sculpture into one creation, using the properties of both, to deliver the message of my intention.

IN GOD WE TRUST
All of the spray foam in the middle of the mural is freestyled by hand, demonstrating the skills I have mastered in molding & manipulating this medium. The outer framework was by far the biggest challenge I have faced thus far on my journey. Over the course of more than one year, I spent countless hours in my studio, attempting to mimic the exact shape, dimensions, and proportions of the framework on the back side of a one-dollar bill. I would freestyle my lay out of the frame, go through a process of adding and subtracting the necessary foam to mimic the exact shape and proportion, and fail dozens and dozens of times in my attempts. Every time I had to scrape off another attempt at my perfect frame, it felt like someone was ripping out a little piece of my soul. I would spend 50 or 60 hours at work, and then have to accept the fact that I needed to start from scratch again. Like a Phoenix rises from its ashes, I rise from the ashes of my failure, delivering me to the growth of my full potential.
Eventually, with many attempts of trial and error, I finally achieved perfection. Once the shape was complete, I repeated the same process that I had discovered with the Godfather. I used the spackle in a very meticulous and intentional manner, which created a texture that mimicked that of a wrinkled dollar bill. Once this texture was achieved, I glazed the spackle with enough liquid rubber to allow the surface to slightly crack a bit. My frame’s texture was officially sized properly and completed to perfection, ready for paint. The cracked surface of the wrinkled bill that I created, gives off the energy of the cracked Liberty Bell, which really ties the energy of this piece together in a beautiful way for me, aesthetically and historically speaking.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am operate from pure authenticity and passion. My goal and mission in life is to speak my mind from this energetic place of passion, while inspiring the world to seek the truth. Most of our teachings from society are intended to program us and enslave us in a willing participation to this 9-5 prison we have created. I have broken through the programming, and I am creating art to inspire others to do the same. We must think for ourselves, embrace our unique perspectives, and be open to others’. We must be able to see through the smoke and mirrors, and embrace the truth of who we really are in this world. I believe everyone has a different purpose, and the source of that comes from their passion within. I want the rest of the world to follow their passion, with the intention of creating an environment where all souls can coexist peacefully together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.davidtarbyartworks.com
• Instagram: ttaarrbbyy
• Facebook: Dave Tarby
• Other: tiktok: useyourblinker_

  This is an account that I use to teach people how to drive in Boston. It is comical and the Boston aggression is transmuted through humor. This has nothing to do with my sculptures, but it is another way that I use my creativity in creating content.

Image Credits

Gleb Budilovsky
Dave Tarby