A BRIEF HISTORY OF DROSS

Drew Ross is Dross, an artist, writer and filmmaker currently living in Hollywood, California. The child's mother named him Drew because she wanted him to be an artist like her self and her grandmother before her. "When I was five years old, I drew a self-portait with crayons titled, Drew drew Drew. I wanted to be phlebotamist, because I love working with junkies, but the pressure from my family to be a famous artist was too great. My father said, as an artist you can work as a spy, like Picasso moving easily across borders and through powerful circles. My grandfather was a great revolutionary labor organizer and a Bolshevik. My father led the civil rights movement across the south and fought against slumlords in the American Ghettos. My own artwork is meant to be a reflection of the traditions of change that leave their watermarks across the pages of human history." Contact Dross to arrange a viewing of the private gallery space, or check out the online store for the latest current offerings.


Interview from Phazer Magazine 2001, by Susan Farrell curator of Graffiti.org

"Art on the street always offers insight into the current state of affairs in any urban setting, [...] is a new project exploring those emerging artists who's work collectively embodies the visual and emotive content of today's underground culture, emphasizing artists who connect with Graffiti and various forms of street art. We begin by profiling Damon Soule and Drew Ross, two emerging artists/writers based in San Francisco. Let's have a look.

Phazer: How did you get started with art?

Drew Ross: When I was a kid, drawing was something kinda fun I could do by myself and when you look busy, you're less likely to get jumped, and after all who wants to be the guy who beats up the kid that drew you that phat GOHSTBUSTERS tag? Now I like being defined by my art, and while it might not be as fundamentally constructive as a prescription drug habit, it serves me to feel a little less lazy, crazy, and unconnected.

Phazer: What tools do you use to create art?

Drew Ross: I do all my drawings with pencil, pens and markers. Then I pick sketches I like, or sketches friends pick out and I color them, blow them up and paint them. Sometimes I use a wacom tablet to color them with the airbrush tool on my computer, which can be a real cool trick when it comes to finding colors and playing with composition. I also like to express myself with video, poetry, animation and fiction as other ways to express myself of what I'm feeling. Even writing computer programs to me is a creative form of expression and a great source of relaxation.

Phazer: Where do you get your ideas from?

Drew Ross: Mostly fuzzy memories, day-dreams, anything really. Music helps me connect with other artists and that feels good too. Some visions come straight out of dreams I wake up with. The girls (and everybody seems to ask this) are friends, models, or sometimes just pretty girls I see at parties.

Phazer: Who's the girl?

Drew Ross: This seems to be everybody's favorite question and all I have to say is close your eyes and click your heels and maybe you'll find out.

Phazer: What does it all mean?

I never explain anything about my artwork, it's just too damn weird to me too, and sometimes that makes people wonder, but I hope to just put smiles in the right places, and if people get confused, hope they just grin through it. But if I had to define what it is I'm trying to do, I'd have to say, having a good time sharing my artwork with nice people."