We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dave Glass. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dave below.

Alright, Dave thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Being involved in the 80’s underground punk, hardcore, thrash metal, skateboarding scene vilified how much I was misunderstood finding tribe in the fringes of society. Parents, teachers, cops, religious leaders, and most authority figures feared anything outside the mainstream that challenged their belief system. Our music was furious and full of teen angst, our art was aggressive and warped, and we dressed anti fashion, deconstructing most of our clothing D.I.Y. style. To this day some of my work is misunderstood and mischaracterized. My girlfriend and I are vendors out in the public art markets, and exhibitors in art galleries as DAWN 11:11 Art Collective, and the majority of art enthusiasts or onlookers don’t know what they are looking at when they see our work. They are either very disturbed or just think it’s cool. As frustrating as that is, we continue to do what we do without compromise. Of course some buyers do get it and those that do are very drawn to our art. Some patrons actually know who a portrait may be of or what we are trying to represent with other imagery. We are not going to follow art trends, as most financially successful “artists” do. That makes the art world even more acceptable, cliché, and boring.

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 background and context?

My name is Dave Glass Riddick. I am an American illustrator and printmaker. My visual art encompasses imagery of strong women of punk/gothic subcultures, creatures, urban decay, struggles with addiction, mix-matched with hand drawn typography. I’ve mainly been working in the print industry, starting in the early 90’s running fanzines and flyers for bands, including music projects I was involved in, on the side as an employee at copy shops. This evolved to greater knowledge over time, designing and illustrating event posters and album covers for bands, burlesque troupes, roller derby leagues, and tattoo conventions. This also led to learning the art of screen printing by the early 2000’s, in which I produced by hand 100,000’s of pieces over decades of licensed merch for the likes of the industry mentioned previously.

Currently I am setting up a garage screen printing shop at our home in North Austin to produce new works on paper. I also make antiqued wood plaque prints with high gloss resin finishes for DAWN 11:11 Art Collective. Both members of DAWN 11:11 Art Collective, myself and Kristen Grundy, are also part of FALLOUT SF, San Francisco’s punk community art space in conjunction with DESTROYALLGALLERIES.com since August 2020. This has allowed us both to showcase our work among anti heroes from our youth that we admire, in addition to meeting new family in the art scene. I occasionally help freelance illustration clients with unique endeavors these days, but at the moment my print and production schedule, which includes work on an automatic press at a local print shop on weekdays, now demands most of my time. I had to rejoin the labor force with inflation and rent increases, for a more stable work situation to keep up with bills, rather than random freelance illustration work. I do have a mouth to feed.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

For one, people should go outside and get back to interacting with their local art and music environment if they care at all about it. The world doesn’t just exist online. It’s a pretty vibrant art market, gallery, and music scene here in Austin, but many still fear getting out in the world since the pandemic hit. Think for yourselves instead of being brainwashed by the televised media blitz, consumerism, and social media followers and likes, and tics and tocs time is running out. It’s a dark world we live in, but life is more interesting with art and music. It’s not valued as much anymore, like humanity we are just disposable, unless it’s placed on a throne of false exuberance with bullshit celebrities and corporate sponsorship – most of whom rip off designs and clothing from people like us. The ones in power make these decisions for you. That’s not art, that’s a commodity. It’s like flipping a house for profit selling a overpriced piece of art. I’d rather drink my own bile than buy into it. I personally hate the law of the land, but I luv most people and the sense of community in it, and care for our dying planet. Instead of buying a piece of mass produced “art” from Target, buy a unique, one of a kind piece, or maybe a limited edition of 20 from a lesser known actually talented artist. Unfortunately money is GOD to many. Thus we live in a world where you need money to survive or you’re literally kicked out on the streets begging for it. So yeah, buy from artists if you appreciate what we do so we can support each other and bring some beauty back into this bleak world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When someone actually believes in you and what you’re all about and maybe gives you a hug and says thanks. Being told you inspired someone else to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dawn1111.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: @art.ov.glass
• Other: NEW https://www.instagram.com/dawn1111collective/

Image Credits
Kristen Grundy