INFORMATION

D’Andrea’s work is his spiritual path.

- Al Cisneros / Om

Illustrator David D’Andrea’s work is iconic, dark, intricate, and beautiful. His illustrations seethe
with sinuous, accomplished line work and intentional rough edges. He draws from a variety of
themes – the shelves of his small studio are crammed with dusty books: almanacs, type
specimens, crumbling encyclopedias, and other esoteric visual references, all looking as if they
had been rescued from a medieval basement. The eclectic influences show in the work: archaic
lettering, obsessively detailed renderings of animals, and elements from numerous religions and
cultures.
Soft-spoken, funny, and kind, D’Andrea has constantly been driven by visual and cultural
research. Some of David’s “other interests include cryptozoology, flea markets, pseudepigrapha,
vintage electronics, and parapsychology,” according to his website. Though containing a lot of
dark imagery, D’Andrea’s work draws you in – it is seductive, engaging, and meticulously
crafted. – Ian Lynam

David D’Andrea combines the draftsmanship of the poster artists and album cover designers of
the 1960’s and 70’s with a raw detailed grittiness to create an organic pen and ink style that is
unmistakably his own. His t-shirt designs, hand colored silk-screen prints and album covers are
highly sought after and have won much praise from fans and admirers. He completely throws
himself into his work and each new piece is an extension and evolution from the last one. David
is a wandering soul and will probably continue to search and improve until the day he stops
drawing.
Jason Thibault / Optimum Wound

How did you become interested in music-related artwork? Is your background primarily fine arts
or music based?
My background is music/pop culture based. My roots are planted in the underground
music scene, and although I’ve since branched out from there, I think that my approach to art
will forever be heavily influenced by that.
The artists I looked up to when I was young were all music based. Early on, I saw the
music and visuals as one in the same. Ken Kelley’s album cover was KISS, Pushead’s t-shirts
were Metallica, Jeff Nelson’s type design was Dischord.
I eventually discovered zines, so photocopiers were the method of reproduction. This
meant stark black and white ink drawings, blown-out photographs, and stray analog artifacts like
tape edges and messy rub-on lettering. It’s all still there in my work even today, I think!
Because of the underground zine/music trading circuit, I eventually found myself in the midst of
an incredible scene in Oakland California. It was the early-mid 1990s. This is when my first
album cover was commissioned and my photocopied flyers gained a little bit of attention.

What type of medium or media do you use to create your pieces?
The medium of reproduction dictates the media that I use. Since most of my work is
reproduced via screen print, I work in pen and ink. My originals are black india ink on paper.
Colors are added later in the screen printing process.
On the occasion that I get to do a record cover or book illustration, anything that is
reproduced digitally, I tend to use pencil and watercolor and sometimes found scraps of paper
ephemera.

Do you generally have a design or production process for each piece, or does every project
develop differently?
I’m sure that from the outside it would seem as if I have a solid method, but in reality the
subtleties of the path to the final image change every time. This keeps my life interesting,
though sometimes very frustrating when there’s a looming deadline.

Who are your artistic as well as musical influences?
I love turn of the century illustrators like Harry Clarke, Ivan Bilibin, and Ernst Haeckel.
1960s masters like Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, and Richard Lindner. Modern fine artists like
Kiki Smith, Jim Dine, and Rauschenberg. And of course my peers like Alan Forbes, Eric Roper,
and Monica Canilao.
I feel like the contemporary psych/heavy music scene is really great right now. Bands
like Moon Duo, OM, Steven R. Smith, Daniel Higgs, and White Hills are hugely inspirational.
And of course I love the 60s/70s progressives like Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra
Tempel, Pandit Pran Nath, etc.

Do you feel your artwork works best with a certain genre or type of music?
Well, I tend to get grouped in with a sort of heavy/doom genre, which makes sense and
at this point is out of my control. I definitely started there, but am vehemently against the idea of
genre or classification, especially when it is put on me. I simply try to align myself with bands
and artists who aren’t stuck in a genre- either physically or mentally. Over the past few years
I’ve been extremely fortunate in this respect. I think that the feeling is mutual, so like-minded
people gravitate towards each other.

How has your overall experience working with musicians been?
It’s a difficult dance. The best relationships involve a certain amount of trust bestowed
upon me, but also an enthusiasm and aesthetic direction on the band’s end.
Birds, death and illuminations are recurring themes, do they hold a particular meaning for you?
Birds are commonly thought of as harbingers of death, which can be thought of as freedom of
flight, the flight of the soul. I am interested in death in the “memento mori” tradition. I love this
victorian idea that visual reminders of impermanence are used to strike a flame of creativity and
spirit. By employing timeless imagery used in a modern way, I hope to update this symbology.

Where do you see your work taking you?
My path reveals itself as I move forward, but ultimately my work “takes me” inward, which is
where I am most comfortable! Maybe things will get more glamorous at some point, but in all
honesty, I barely have time to look up from the drawing table/computer. I have been able to
travel for a few exhibitions and I’d like to think that more travel opportunities will arise.
I really am very happy with where my work has landed me in this world. The correspondence,
the exchange of new ideas and imagery and ambitions…that is where my work can take me. It is
what I can offer up to the void, the akashic record, or whatever term you’d like to use. I am very
thankful for that exchange, as it is the most important facet of my existence.
I basically feel that I am here to create and wherever that takes me is ok. I admit that I always
do feel a bit lost. I do have goals of course, but try to keep them somewhat abstract.
It does begin to feel strange and dream-like when you realize that you are putting your
work out into the world in place of your physical self. Your work becomes you. Your work
becomes your silver cord, your connection to the physical world.
You start to feel like a shut-in and obsess over the idea and how it’s perceived by your
friends. At the same time, your work is out there, traveling to all ends of culture.
You wonder if you should get out more. Time is passing.
I try to stay fluid and simply adapt to the new formats and mediums. If I can survive another 10
years as a (one man) design team, I will be happy.
On a surface level, I hope to cultivate my work as an entity in the art/design world.

What moves you to create psychedelic or visionary art?
I’m interested in nature, science, letterforms, graphic design, print making, and mark
making. Once I filter these things through my vision, I guess the outcome is psychedelic.I
definitely make conscious nods to the artists of the 60s in certain pieces. It is one of the eras
that speaks to me most strongly, and I think the general subject matter coupled with lettering
style and layout, are signifiers in peoples’ heads of the psychedelic era.
Whereas I am equally inspired by early 1900s artists, such as Harry Clarke, who are
incredibly psychedelic in a less recognized way.I think that a psychedelic artist somehow
communicates this vision from beyond the veil, which resonates with the viewer on a deep level.
In my favorite “psychedelic” art there’s simultaneously heavy communication,
abstraction, good design, and craft. Rick Griffin is the best example in my mind. There is a lot to
aspire to in that.I like that a large part of the process requires going inward, surfacing, and
explaining the experience through visuals. Psychedelic art is at once extremely personal and
hugely universal.

Can you talk a little bit about Monolith press and your involvement with the project?
Monolith Press was founded by my good friend Matt Parrillo. We’ve been working
together since the mid 90s with his record label Life is Abuse. When Matt semi-retired the label,
I knew it was a great opportunity for me to move on from photocopies. We started by printing
posters for local San Francisco/Oakland shows. Before I knew it, Monolith consisted of 4-5
people and we were cranking out prints for artists from all over the globe. I suppose I was the
“in-house” artist for about 2 years, and although that chapter has recently come to a close (I’ve
moved to Portland), we’ll inevitably be maintaining a working relationship. I’ll be forever thankful
to Matt for his friendship and the inspiration to not only create, but print!

What do you view as the major differences between creating poster art and album art?
The biggest difference is the method of reproduction. Screen printed posters are
reproduced in an “analog” manner. Any sort of color gradient needs to be represented with solid
dots or lines. Therefore, when I create a poster design the original drawing is black ink on paper.
Any shading is done with a stippling method, and any elements added later need to be reduced
down to solid black on white. Color is added later while printing.
Album covers are reproduced digitally, which means that basically anything goes.
Each type of job has its advantages and limitations.

Have you ever considered doing something else?
I come from a long line of tradesmen. Some sort of trade/craft has always been an option. I find
it fairly easy to adapt to whatever situation I find myself in. If I had to be a janitor it wouldn’t
necessarily change my artistic vision.

What do you think your work stands for?
The psychedelia of nature, the inner mind and consciousness, “memento mori” , the
transcendence of life on this earth, cyclical reality….the mysteries of mind space and time!

Excerpts from various interviews spanning 2006-2011. Original interviews were conducted by
Ian Lynam, Sarah Louden, Jason Thibault, and Rebecca Czaicka.