Today we’d like to introduce you to Das Frank.
Hi Das, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After graduating college at Virginia Commonwealth University, I moved to Las Vegas having been awarded a scholarship to the master’s program for theatric lighting design at University of Nevada Las Vegas. During the second year of this program an opportunity to learn how to tattoo dropped into my lap and after overlapping an apprenticeship and graduate school for a year, I left UNLV to throw everything into tattooing. Nearly sixteen years later, not only am I still tattooing but proudly work Studio 21 Tattoo, one of the highest-rated shops in the state. A few years ago, while looking for another creative outlet, I started painting, mostly pop culture references, and soon discovered I really enjoy doing portraits. As time progressed and technology caught up, I made the leap to digital and started creating a lot of my work in the new medium. More recently, my work has been geared towards alternative and satire movie posters. The events of the past year have made me aware that my work can be used not only to entertain but to also spread important messages.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been fortunate enough to have been able to surround myself with amazing friends and family who have been incredibly supportive of every step of my career as an artist. That being said, there have definitely been some setbacks and stumbles along the way but when challenges rise up, it’s important to remember to be the river and not the rock; that means going with the flow is going to take you somewhere amazing but if you stubbornly stand still you’re going to get worn down.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Right now, I absolutely love creating poster art. The poster I am most known for is my Positive Propaganda series I started at the onset of the pandemic. This series was aimed at urging the public to stay inside during the push to flatten the curve. Recently I added a new poster to the series promoting “Vaccines for Victory!” It blew my mind when a few months later, I found out that the first poster in the series, Positive Propaganda I, had been curated into and preserved as part of the permanent collections of the Library of Congress. I think what sets my work apart is the sense of nostalgia inherent in my works, regardless of subject matter.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Never be afraid to put everything you have into an idea! Even if it doesn’t pan out the way you hoped, the journey to that failure is full of opportunities to learn something new. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a project go off the rails only to be able to use portions of that experience on the next go-round.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: dasfrank.com
- Instagram: @das.frank.inc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theartofdasfrank
- Twitter: @artist_dasfrank
