by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“By the time I was four or five years old, I was already one of those kids who colored outside the lines,” said Dalton Agency Vice President for Client Services David Durrett.
That flair for art eventually led him to create illustrations for his high school newspaper, then to Jacksonville University, where he earned a degree in commercial art.
“I was also exposed to fine art and watercolor at JU as well as business and advertising. By the time I graduated in 1984, a lot of what I had done all my life and then studied in college had been supplanted by the computer,” he said.
That led to a career in advertising, but Durrett didn’t give up on his art. He took his love for historic entertainment images like cartoons and Godzilla movies and turned it into an avocation.
The art movement is called, “Lowbrow.”
“It started in the ‘70s which was a time when very visual cultural pop culture icons like the Marx Brothers were making a comeback,” said Durrett. “Now it includes Japanese horror movies and vintage cartoons.
“I’ve always had an interest in old films and images that continue to cycle into popularity. The Lowbrow movement allows artists to create interpretations of our cultural touchstones.”
In addition to decorating his office, Durrett is also using his art for a good cause. He has donated some of his work to Los Angeles art gallery La Luz de Jesus to be part of an auction to raise money for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, which is facing foreclosure.
Durrett said after the agency’s new headquarters on West Monroe Street was being renovated, he ended up with a corner office – albeit one without a window.
“That’s OK,” he said. “I need the wall space.”
To see more of Durrett’s creations, visit www.daviddurrett.com.
Photos by Max Marbut
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