© 2000 Deurer
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Artist Statement Gold FAQ Gold Exhibitions Gold Distinctions Gold Reviews

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BlueArtist Statement:

By Richard Deurer

In an age when pictures can be seen around the globe in seconds, when each day is more hectic than the last, it is imperative that art do more than just look pretty. Interaction between the viewer and the painting is essential. "How do I get people as excited about this painting as I am?"

One way I try to accomplish this is by choosing familiar situations: watching television, frequenting bars, skiing, and the dreaded dash to work. I paint about modern times and the issues that affect us all: money, recreation, technology, etc. By adding an element of humor, I further involve the viewer - assuming that most of us are willing to at least consider the humor of situations.

"But why the Egyptian imagery?" you ask. The ancient Egyptians were amazing people - so far ahead of their time. They brought to the world the first use of glass, the origins of geometry, fish hooks and scissors much like our own; and where would we stand today had they not given us plywood? The Egyptians were excellent graphic artists as well. The stories they recorded thousands of years ago to advertise their gods can still be deciphered today. Thus, I find it a wonderful vehicle for advertising my stories.

Sometimes the research on a painting can take as long as the actual execution of the painting. That in itself is a very rewarding learning experience for me. I try to keep the imagery as close to the Egyptian style and mythology as possible, so that it is like looking at our modern world through their eyes. Using familiar situations and issues allows the basic stories and humorous touches to be understood by almost everyone.

 

 

 

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BlueFrequently Answered Questions:

How old am I, where was I born? Born in 1957, I am an American, from the Garden State of New Jersey, Exit 14a.

 

How and when did I become interested in Egypt? As long as I can remember I have been interested in Ancient Egypt, but I must say, I do not know why. I can point to my first coherent memory of something Egyptian. It even has a date attached to it now thanks to modern technology. It first aired on TV October 2, 1964, It was a cartoon, The Curse of Anubis. What an adventure! I was 6 years old and the cobras, scorpians, and walking mummys nearly scared me to death.

 

When did you begin to paint? My first memory as a painter was as a very, very, young child. We had an oak tree in our yard that supplied me with acorns. I began to paint them, I thought the acorns were absolutely beautiful painted different colors. I created quite a production line to paint acorns which I planed on selling to the entire neighborhood. This was my first experience with the idea of "beauty being in the eye of the beholder". It also laid the foundation of an otherwise unremarkable sales career, I didn't sell any acorns, not one. Time marched on, as a teen I relieved boredom by copying album covers. My favorites were Grateful Dead covers. This one has a subtle Egyptian influence. Note the winged solar disk across the top and the scarab on the bottom middle. I am also reminded of a Grateful Dead bumper sticker that I saw every day for years... In the land of the night the ship of the sun is drawn by the grateful dead. This is reminiscent of the Book of Gates, an ancient text that explains the route that Ra's boat takes through the underworld. Because there is no wind in the underworld his ship is pulled by the dead.

 

Did I study Art? I did, but I was not a good student. My formal training is limited to two years at a vocational-technical mechanical drawing and than two years at the Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, MD. I never really considered art to be much of a career, just something that I was always doing. My first year of college I became fascinated with ancient Egypt. I bought my first copy of the Book of the Dead for a poetry class. I was fascinated by the hieroglyphic language and from that moment on I was hooked. My first Egyptian drawing was for an art history class, it was a copy of a small artifact from a local museum. An early college sculpture assignment was a lost wax casting called Tut's Tour, still one of my favorites. It was not until after I dropped out of college that I became completely immersed in the Ancient Egyptian style of painting.

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BlueExhibitions:

Creative Arts Guild, Eight pieces on display in a show entitled NO MUMMIES The Influence of Ancient Egypt on Contemporary Art and Culture. Dalton, GA October 10 - December 15, 2000 REVIEW

Dundalk Gallery, College Community Center, Two pieces on display in a show entitled Crossings: the Arts Reflecting Egypt. Dundalk, MD October 24 - November 29, 2000

Strathmore Hall Arts Center, The Graceland Papyrus receives Juror's Equal Award in Scaled to Art, a show featuring music as inspiration. Bethesda, MD. June 26 - August 31, 1996.
. . Juror: James Hilleary

Strathmore Hall Arts Center, Invited to participate in Past to Present, a three person show featuring the imagery of Ancient Egypt. Bethesda, MD. March 8 - April 20, 1996. REVIEWS 1 2

Bandaloops, eighteen pieces on display, Baltimore, MD. August - October 1995.

Fell's Point Corner Theatre, eight pieces on display, Baltimore, MD. November- December 1993

The Forum Gallery, Late for Work, 1:47 B.C. Last Call and Bored Room accepted to Wit & Wisdom: Humor In Art, Jamestown, NY. May 19 - June 20, 1992. CURATOR REVIEW

Katzenstein Gallery, Two-person show, Baltimore, MD. June 5 - 27, 1992.

Greenbaum Gallery, participated in group exhibit, Fell's Point, MD. April 5 - May 15, 1992.

Dundalk Community College, invited to participate in Drawing Outside the Lines, Dundalk, MD. March 6 - 30, 1992.

Howard Community College, Columbia, MD. February 13 - March 28, 1992. REVIEW

Maryland Art League, two paintings accepted to Juried Show, Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, Baltimore, MD. November - December 1991.
. . Juror: Melvon O. Miller and Dr. Morris B. Green

Strathmore Hall Arts Center, five paintings accepted to Summer Sights, Bethesda, MD. June 13 - July 20, 1991.

Fell's Point Corner Theatre, seven pieces on display, Baltimore, MD. March 1991.

Syrumie Cafe, seven pieces on display, Baltimore, MD. February - March 1991.

Kupchick's, fifteen pieces on display, Lewes, DE. October 1990 - January 1991.

Strathmore Hall Arts Center, Rush Hour received first place Juror's Award in Artery '90, Bethesda, MD. October 18 - November 17, 1990. REVIEW
. . Juror: Marlyn A. Zeitlin, Executive Director, Washington D.C. Project for the Arts.

Loyola College, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 31st Annual Outdoor Invitational Art Shows, Baltimore, MD. Autumn `90, `91, `92, and `96

Bandaloops, ten paintings on display, Baltimore, MD. August - October 1990.

Artscape, Bored Room and Rush Hour accepted to Annual Juried Show. Baltimore, MD. July - August 1990.
. . Juror: Lowery Stokes Sims, Associate Curator in the Dept. of 20th century Art at the Metropolitan Muesum of Art in New York City.

Laurel Art Guild, Ship of Fools and Rush Hour accepted to Annual Juried Show, Laurel, MD. March 1990

Space Telescope Science Institute, one man exhibition Times and Spaces, Baltimore, MD. September 1 - October 31, 1989.

Essex Community College, Essex, MD. June 5 - July 2, 1989.

New Jersey Center For Visual Arts, First Brunch accepted to Juried Show '89, Summit, NJ. January 22-February 23, 1989.
. . Juror:David Pease, Dean and Professor of Painting, Yale School of Art at Yale University, New Haven CT.

Park School Admissions Gallery, Brooklandville, MD. November 1 - 30, 1988.

Montpelier Cultural Arts Center, winner of the Library Gallery Competition and Honorarium, Laurel, MD. May 1 - May 31, 1988.

Baltimore County Courts Building, Towson, MD. June 1 - 30, 1987.

Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, received Honorable Mention, Artist Today Touring exhibit, Humor, Wit, and Wimsy. Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas. November 1986 - March 1987.
. . Juror: Benard T. Reilly, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Art at the Library of Congress.

Foodscape, annual group exhibit, Mount Royal Tavern, Baltimore, MD. July 1984 -1996.

Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, invited to participate in a show entitled Egyptomania: From Memphis to Memphis, Memphis State University, TN. Canceled.

 

 

 

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BlueDISTINCTIONS:

 

 

 

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BlueReviews:

Sunday, November 19, 2000

Chattanooga Times

' No Mummies'

BY ANN NICHOLS
Arts Writer

 

Though visitors to the current exhibit at the Creative Arts Guild will certainly learn much about Egyptian history and culture such as the fact that no self-respecting man or woman was buried without his or her personal eye makeup kit, three bottles of wine, a roast duck and childhood toys the show was actually designed to provide an a typical view of a country that continues to fascinate the American public.

"No Mummies" has no mummy on the premises, but what it does have is a comprehensive display of items ranging from a clay jar from 4000-3000 B.C. to a Cleopatra Barbie doll. Recordings of "Walk Like an Egyptian" in various languages, books, posters, beach towels, punching bags and a 500-pound sarcophagus made entirely of Lego blocks contrast with 56 authentic Egyptian artifacts from the collection of Marcus and Devon Alford of Woodstock, GA.

"Sometimes art just gets a little too stuffy," said Ann Treadwell, the guild's executive director. "We wanted to assemble a show that was tongue-in-cheek, but also illustrates how significantly the world has been influenced by the Egyptian culture."

Another goal of the installa-

 

tion, which is composed of more than 100 objects, addresses the alteration of historic artifacts as they evolve through the centuries.

"When-you take someone else's culture traditions, they automatically become your traditions because whatever you do to them changes them and reflects the time in which you live," she said.

One of the highlights of the show is a replica of a tomb created by artist Rick Harrison. On the walls of the tomb are text panels with illustrations that provide information concerning Egyptian celebrations, religious practices, clothing, hierarchy of professions and embalming. A larger-than-life-size sarcophagus, colorfully painted and embellished with gold, rests on an altar surrounded by objects necessary for the deceased to make the transition to afterlife.

Open the sarcophagus, though, and visitors will discover that it is really a storage container for videotapes.

Seven prints by Richard Deurer combine the artist's outrageous sense of humor and extraordinary technique. "Wieners of the Gods" depicts an Egyptian cookout, while "1:47 B.C. (Last Call)" shows a group of inebriated Egyptians gathered around a bar. Other works are cleverly titled "Elvis Has Entered the Pyramid," "Ski Ægypt" and "B.C. (Before Cable)"

A visionary artist known only

 

Richard Deurer' prints of Egyptian Life have a whimsical twist, as exemplified in the work "Wieners of the Gods."

 

by the name of Camelman is displaying three clay sculptures. A must-see is "On a Visionary Trip to Egypt, I Bagged These Camels" consisting of three clay camel heads individually sealed in plastic bags that are suspended from the bottom of a clay map of Egypt.

Many Egyptian-inspired toys and games from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s can be seen, as well as collections of watches, dolls, photographs, videos and art nouveau publisher prints.

The artifacts are housed in a protective glass case and include fine examples of ushabti, amulets, alabaster jars and bowls, oil

lamps, mummy beads, coins, scarabs and sandstone wall fragments.

Don't miss the mummifried chicken either.

"No Mummies: The Influence of Ancient Egypt on Contemporary Art and Popular Culture" will continue through Dec. 15. The guild is located at 520 W. Waugh St. in Dalton, GA., and is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The guild will be closed Wednesday through Sunday for the Thanksgiving holidays. Admission is free. For information, call (706) 278-0168.

 

 

 

 

 

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KOAN

    KEN ODA's ART NEWSLETTER
    Volume IV, Number 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 1996

 

    A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR ART COLLECTORS AND ART PROFESSIONALS
    IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C., METROPOLITAN AREA.

 

Worth Seeing

Richard Deurer, Sam Faltaous, Joyce Zipperer:
Past to Present, at Strathmore Hall Arts Center,
10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD, through April 20.

Sam Faltaous is a highly skilled imitator. Using authentic Papyrus he paints in the traditional ancient format of rows of figures and objects in stylized profile. He provides no new insights, interpretations or contemporary relevance.

From a distance Richard Deurer's work seems to be done in the same mode, but wait -- his traditionally presented figures have vaulted into the 20th century. Boardroom meetings, bar-hopping, skiing, Graceland and other contemporary afflictions are the subjects for his delightful ancient imagery. These are more than mere visual puns; they gently reveal the humor in our foibles and behavior.

Joyce Zipperer's elegant architectural forms simultaneously imply ancient wisdom and contemporary concerns. There is layer upon layer of high tech materials which manage to suggest the detritus of the ages. She uses various forms of the Paintbrush as memorialized icons presaging the danger to (death of?) creativity in our art-hostile materialistic age. [RS]

     

 

 

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Montgomery magazine Friday. March 29. 1996

in the arts

Ancient Egypt comes to Bethesda

by Nancy Ungar

Special to the Gazette

Ancient Egypt, that Nile culture of pyramids and pharaohs, lives still in its arts. The dramas of Royalty and everyday life that filled the pyramid tombs resonates with memories for some contemporary Egyptians as well as for others who are drawn to its mysteries. Strathmore Hall's curator, Mildred Schott, has mounted a show of works by three artists influenced by ancient Egypt. Sam Faltaous, the primary impetus for the show, is Egyptian by birth and Parisian for the last 20 years. In meticulously rendered gouache paintings on papyrus, Faltaous here explores his roots. Fully researched, the paintings are time capsules, closely mimicking the ancient papyri in format, subject, style and even in hieroglyphs. "Preparation of the Funeral" divides a papyrus into four horizontal scenes surrounded by a wide band of hieroglyphs. Each tier shows another aspect of the Funeral preparation including the anointment of the mummies, the preparation of food and artifacts to accompany the dead to the afterlife, and the preparation of slaves and fowl for sacrifice. Faltaous' has drawn on his visual memories and researched his heritage to create highly detailed and beautifully executed renditions of ancient Egyptian art.

New Jersey-born Richard Deurer has also researched Ancient Egypt, but whereas Faltaous' work is respectful, Deurer's is funny and sacrilegious--an entertaining foil. Using the characters, hieroglyphs and stylizations of ancient art, Deurer updates his subjects to poke fun at civilizations both ancient and contemporary. In "Tidal Dog", a low-relief acrylic painting in the style of Egyptian tomb carvings,

Deurer paints the jackal-headed god of the dead, Anubis, surfing. The large wave that curves over Anubis' head contains typical Jersey shore denizens--not only fish, but also plastic six-pack holders. The god Horus in his falcon form (or is it a seagull) looks down on the scene while the sun, behind the life-giving ankh, touches his fingers to the ocean. hieroglyphs complete the image and some not-so authentic ones seem to have crept in. The bottom row, for instance, consists of a mosquito, a bikini and a beach ball. The significance of the Swiss army knife towards the top eludes me. We are helped in our reading however by a wall label which interprets the text as "Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world."

Joyce Zipperer has long worked in a mixed media technique that resembles carved stone. Her inclusion in this show provides an architectural reminder of ancient Egypt. "Projections," seven irregular "stone" and copper shapes hovers overhead like the broken corbels of an ancient building ''Preservation" is one of a series in which the artist mummifies and entombs her paint brushes. Different and perhaps best are Zipperer's two square canvases in which a painted ground is shadowed by sheets of screening triangularly cut at top and overlapping to form moire patterns. The resulting impression is romantic, monumental view of the pyramids against the sky.

 

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ARTS
Treasures of a different sort
Deurer's clever take on Egypt

Mike Giuliano

Ancient Egypt was never like this: TV-obsessed consumers in the Land of the pharaohs who occasionally exercise by skiing down the side of a snow-covered pyramid; a King Tut-like figure all set to play golf; men and mythological creatures relaxing over a pizza or bellying up to the bar. Then again, painter Richard Deurer makes such things pretty convincing in his humorous series of Egyptian-themed paintings at Howard Community College. Deurer not only injects modern pursuits into his ancient settings, he kids around with Egyptian artistic styles, as in the flattened, side-profile portraits associated with Egyptian art. He's at his best in a painting like "Bored Room," in which a corporate boardroom has official pictures of Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson on its walls, but Egyptian statues arranged like bored executives around a table, They're examining bureaucratic documents on papyrus, with sodas and cigarettes to help them get through the meeting. Although there is no shortage of cleverness in this series, it flirts with a distinction that might be made between cute and cutesy. Other, unrelated work by Deurer in this exhibit also at times seems gimmickbound. One also wonders about the aesthetic motivation behind a painting such as '' Dragon Slayer," in which a white-haired warlock with a staff in his arms is up against a green dragon. Are we meant to take this fantasy scene as kitsch?

 

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Oct. 25, 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gazette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page A-43
Strathmore 'Artery '90' exhibit has humorous touch

by Roberta Morgan
Special to the Gazette

Strathmore Hail Arts Center's exhibition "Artery '90," on view to Nov. 17, presents a high quality overview of local art trends.

Marilyn Zeitlin, director of the Washington Project for the Arts, served as juror. "I Juried the show virtually unfamiliar with anybody's work," she said, remarking that she recently moved from Houston, and work with the show introduced her to many artists.

Narrative has become an important feature of art in the Washington area and throughout the south. The show featured several humorous examples. From the exotic adventure of "Narwhal Blitzkrieg" by Tim Kirk to the Egyptian mural-like rendering of modern life, "Rush Hour" by Richard Deurer, artists are entertaining viewers with funny stories.

Many of the works imitate naive traditions in American art, such as "Memorial Day Madness '' an acrylic beach scene by Claire Freeman. Zeitlin noted that this painting illustrated the peculiar competitiveness of the Washington area, resulting in "anxiety over having fun."

A sculptural collage that critiques the violence in much recreation is "Pistol Bingo" by Rita Eisner. Many of the sculptures in the show were collages, and tended to be thought provoking. Notable among them are "Bed For My Little Fish" by Karen Jelently and "Lunar Passage'' by Cheryl Casteen, both of which dealt with the mystery of pregnancy.

Interest in mystery, metaphysics and spiritual life was strongly represented in a variety of works in the show. Some pieces communicated this intention with the character or feel of the work as a whole, such as "Visitation of the Split Cedar Spirit" by Rob Hiett, and "Window Detail, Bath, Maine" by Don W. Savage.

Other works dealt with spiritual themes directly. Jim Wilson's collage, "Moving On'' used images of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden in a statement about modern life. "Madonna and Child" by Suzanne Jeri Pender is a modern altar piece with a traditional imagery and theme.

The show includes 91 works by 90 artists. This diverse collection of art reflects many interests of local artists. However, Zeitlin noted that throughout there is a strong "emphasis on the beautifully crafted work of art." Abstract and conceptual ideas are presented in a visual rather than in an intellectual way. As a result, the exhibition is an enjoyable exploration of visual comment.

 

 

 

 

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The Forum Gallery
Dan R. Talley, Curator

Richard Deurer produces narrative paintings that play out the mundane aspects of contemporary light using ancient Egyptian characters and trappings. The jarring and highly arresting pieces cause us to reflect on the differences (and similarities) in the human condition since time immemorial.

 

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Art at JCC's Forum Gallery
shows lighter side of artists

By REG DARLING
"Wit and Wisdom: Humor in Art" opened at JCC's Forum Gallery Tuesday, May 20. Gallery Director Dan Tally chose the 47 works by 21 artists from 4300 submissions by over 450 artists in response to a nationwide call for entries. The show was conceived to accompany the annual Lucille Ball Festival of New Comedy.

In keeping with the variety we've come to expect in Forum Gallery exhibitions, "Wit and Wisdom's" works are diverse in both style and medium. The exhibit includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography artist's books, sculpture and video.

The farcical buffoonery and shallow one-liners of much mass media comedy are largely absent here. There is humor a-plenty but not a great deal of outright laughter. Comedy is left wry and dry on a bed of smiles. There are few jokes in the usual sense of the word. In keeping with the title, the comedic focus of the show is on wit. The wit is sharp, subtle, multi-layered, and sometimes obscure. With the exception of some particularly funny moments in the videos, "Wit and Wisdom" leaves you smiling inwardly at the irony and absurdity of our various social, political, and personal predicaments rather than laughing aloud.

Horace Walpole once said that "The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel." The humor in this show is certainly a thinking person's humor. What it Lacks in hilarity it makes up for in staying power. The felt intensity of a joke fades rapidly and bears little repetition, but true wit, like true art, hangs in there. Wit is one of art's most basic means of challenging our unseen assumptions. We need it to remind us how easily we can be misled by our own beliefs, including those about art and its Importance.

Janet Ballweg's verbal/visuel puns point with disarming directness to the simple, foolish absurdity of our wholesale destruction of natural environments. In many ways, they typify the humor in this show. In calling attention to a particular issue, humor is used to clear. Away the smokescreen of outrage and grief that can otherwise cloud the thinking of those who already recognize the problem.

Maria Kirby-Smith contributed the only sculpture in the exhibition. "Senator Jesse Helms Lawn Jockey," a 38-lnch tall figure of Senator Helms with hitching ring in hand, is perhaps the most directly hilarious piece in the show. One has to wonder if the artist intends to mass produce these what artist wouldn't want one at the end of their driveway? A whole array of vastly more perverse possibilities come to mind as well.

Richard Deurer's paintings depict scenes from contemporary life using imagery from ancient Egypt. In the jolt, the initial surprise of that weird, incongruous, juxtaposition the frivolity and pretentiousness of much of modern social life is revealed but with self-righteousness kept carefully in check by comic absurdly. As images, especially in the content of a thematic exhibition, These paintings work wonderfully. Looking at them simply as paintings, however, one has to ask (as with much of the other work on the walls of the gallery) what is the relationship of this work and its content to the medium and its inherent potentialities? The answer is that there simply isn't much of a relationship. Deurer's images would work just as well rendered as computer graphics, pencil drawings or prints.

So, too, with Robert Sholties' paintings. They are as full of off-handed comic incongruity and irreverence as a Tom Robbins novel. But they'd work just as well as page-sized illustrations in a book as in the form of a 40-by 60-inch painting. So, although they fit very neatly into the context of this show, there is a disappointing lack of rapport with the medium.

The one clear exception to this failing (but for the books and videos) is the group of four tiny (the largest is 7 inches by 7 inches) paintings by Alberto Rey. Their mundane scenes presented with devotional preciousness impart a self-effacing humor that, combined with their small scale keeps your unpretentious modesty intact even as you realize they are as

monumental as if they were wall-slzed. A wonderful tactility sustains their Intimacy even in conjunction with their monumentality.

When you visit this show, don't just stroll through and look at what's on the walls. Take time to watch the videos and look at the

 

 

 

 

Your questions are welcome, Send E-mailemail me

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