Our art director, Derrick David, can officially add sculptor to his list of artistic talents. EAG Advertising & Marketing’s office in Kansas City’s Crossroads Art District has undergone a refresh over the past few months. A refresh that included an expansion, new paint, new furniture, moss wall installations, plants, artwork from local artists’ Felix Maull and Hasna Sal, and now, a Derrick David original wall sculpture.
“The creative team has led much of our interior refresh, from updating EAG’s brand colors to determining where to place plants. Who understands our brand, culture and space more than our very own creative people? And, who better to ensure our space’s interior design is cohesive and reflective of our style and vision than those who work here every day? It was a welcome opportunity to use their creative talents beyond our usual award-winning design work,” explains Michele Markham, EAG President and CEO.
While the majority of the interior refresh is complete, there was that one looming empty wall begging for a focal point.
The Jet Designer Returns
Before joining EAG, Derrick was in aviation and aerospace design, creating interior and exteriors for business class, private jets and fleets. Perhaps naturally, he views vast empty space and imagines jet contrails crisscrossing it. Straight from Scientific American:
Jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot, humid exhaust from jet engines mixes with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas.
Contrails and a jet’s smooth angles and linear speed lines served as Derrick’s inspiration for the sculpture.
“I knew what I wanted it to look like. I had my inspiration. Then, came the hard part, translating the idea in my head to tangible artwork. Turning concepts into reality is what designers do every day, but I’ve never sculpted before so it wasn’t so much a matter of working in the print or digital realm, but instead with physical art materials,” explains Derrick. “I needed a material that wouldn’t require heavy duty tools or tooling, which ended up being Styrofoam. Even though Styrofoam can make a mess, is staticky, noisy to work with, and difficult to paint, it also has the qualities I wanted in order to create the contrail-like crisscrossing. Once I solved how to create a smooth surface and keep the paint from melting the foam, the angles and lines came easier.”
As with all art, beauty and meaning are within the eyes of the beholders. Derrick says, “It was satisfying, and sometimes frustrating, to use my 20-some-odd years of graphic, aviation and aerospace design to sculpt what’s defined as a traditional piece of art for our office. It hangs near my desk, so unlike most ‘sculptors,’ I get to listen in on people’s responses when they see it.”