Davin Brainard
Art installer at the Detroit Institute of Arts by day, member of TIME STEREO, Wolfman Band, Princess Dragonmom, Metal Dungeon, UFO Factory, etc. by night.
Can you remember the first flier or poster you made?
I can't remember the first flier but the first poster I made was for Princess Dragonmom's "Wrestle Time" show at Alvin's 1994.
Do you consider this an art form?
Well not really. I mean they do need to look cool and everything but they are really just there to tell people about a show. They don't need to be archival either unless the show is 1,000 years from now. And they shouldn't look too good or else someone will steal it off the wall of the record store and then nobody will know about the show.
What's your signature?
Spray paint from ACO with hand-cut stencils using poster board from CVS.
Name an artist, contemporary or not, who you identify with:
Ellsworth Kelly — he started in the camouflage corps of the U.S. Army then became an awesome abstract painter using only primary colors and containing no context except just colors and shapes.
What's your style like?
Shapes and straight-from-the-can colors, sometimes with words too.
Who's your hero, in real life or fiction?
I guess if I had to pick someone it would be Ultraman.
If you could create the flier for any band or gig in history, what would you choose?
Godzilla vs. Hedorah!
What trait do you hate in others?
I don't really hate any traits in others — what they do is their own business, as long as they make a nice poster. Or I may hate the poster but I won't hate the trait, any trait can be used for good or evil.
Where do you feel most at home?
In my garage where I paint.
What do you waste money on?
Fancy dinners with wifey.
Gotten any good news lately?
I got asked to do a cover for Metro Times … They pay $300 bucks and everyone in Detroit sees it … it's cool. I'm taking wifey out to dinner now.
Who do you think you are?
I'm Davin, greatest stencil poster artist currently making posters all the time for over 15 years for shows in Detroit especially at UFO Factory and UFO Factory at MOCAD.
What do you think you're doing?
I just love to make colorful stuff that is shaped nice and pleasing to look at and lets you know when and where the show is.
Who do you think you're talking to?
I'm talking to Rebecca, she asked me these questions. And also to everyone in Detroit and the world by way of Metro Times weekly paper in Detroit and metrotimes.com for the world (If Rebecca uses this stuff in the article).
