Edward Jefferson Trask - Art and Music

Juxtapoz has a online article on Space Invader, Ed Trask and japanese artist Kami.. Thanks Trina
http://www.juxtapoz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4023&Itemi

also you can see a video of the show and a L.A. Weekly slide show of the show

http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/slideshows/insiders-outsiders-and-the-middle-art-opening/1458/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtGLv8qrmYM

Had a show open last week in L.A. and wow what a great time i had.. The gallery was packed and the crowds reception couldn’ t have been better.. I had time to surf a bunch and time to visit some galleries (Blown away by the Corey Helford Gallery). This was a great success and i have to thank a lot of people ,, so here is the list,
Eric(giant Robot) You are wonderful ; Edith,Ian, K.P., Evan(Scion Space)You guys are simply great : Trina( juxtapose) for the well thought out interview; Noa Harada ,Space Invader, Noriko Ashino, Kami,Shinya, Taro and Yoshitane(Zarigani works), Adrian Johnson. your art was a real inspiration..and thanks dear friends Kerry, Cropper,mell,Jess, Dean,Nioami, for dealing with me.. Kerry buchman i’m so sorry about the broken surfboard!!!!!!!, And last but not least the family for helping this to all happen…….. thanks ed

Eric Nakamura of Giant Robot is curating a show in L.A. that i will be working on a installation and some seperate paintings for.. It will be held at the Scion Space. I love me some Giant Robot!!!!!!!!!!!.. Here is a description of the gallery/ space
Scion Space
Dedicated to fostering independent artistic expression, Scion Installation L.A. is a space that allows artists to explore their creative visions. The Scion Space hosts art shows and art-related events for cutting-edge urban artists from across the globe.

Colleen Curran has done a slide show interview to be posted on inrich.com..Check it out
http://media.gatewayva.com/photos/rtd/slideshows/20080505ed2/index.html

I’m so humbled and excited about the future of our son Loudoun Jefferson Trask and i just wish that everyone could experience the life changing time we had with our midwife Nancy Giglio.
Nancy has the strong, loving hands of a women who’s life has been dedicated to midwifery, and she has such a unbeleivable way of breaking down and simplifying what should be the most beautiful event of your life , ,, and it was.. Her wealth of knowledge and trusting , dissarming personality brought about a certain confidence in Kelly that she could have the birth experience that she deserved. She was tough during labor when needed and always supportive, and loving, illuminating a path to a perfect personal birth and a kind of rebirth in ourselves.. Thank you Nancy and thank you Kirsten Olsen, you are such a wonderful friend and a brilliant doula,, we are so glad you were there for us …..thanks
Nurse Martha, Dr. Fitzugh, and the staff at the women’s pavilion of henrico doctors were there for us in a way that wasn,t just proffesional, it was loving and personal…
Our families are still here for us and we couldn’t do it without them. Nana, Jen, and Scott, got the house ready and stayed up some long nights with us .WOW what would a life be without family. Tim, and all of my friends that called to help ..thanks, Millie’s family..thanks
Jenny Houston ,Tom, Sue,Max,Nikki,Suzy,, its just endless and now it starting to sound like the back of a record cover so thanks all goodnight,,,,,well not really! ed

Loudoun Jefferson Trask was born May 7th 2008
8 pounds 7 ounces; Kelly is quite simply amazing !

Lively
16
I first heard of Ed Trask when I was in school at VCU in the
early 90s. Like every other Richmonder, I saw his work all
over town and wondered, “Who is that guy who paints all
of those murals?” When I asked around to find out, the
answers ranged from “he’s the drummer in that band” to
“he’s the cook over at that restaurant”. As an ar tist trying
to make my presence known in the world, I was determined
to meet this legendary ar t nut who was painting up
my hometown and pick his brain, find out some tricks of the
trade and see just how to get ar t out into the world! Sadly,
when I finally did meet Ed, I was only able to come up with,
“Hey, you’re the guy that paints those murals.” I don’t know
if I was distracted by his hat or the curious tattoo on his
elbow, but I wasn’t able to ask the things that I wanted to
know. I finally had the opportunity to ask a few questions
of the guy I had always heard about.

Matt Lively You have traveled the globe and undoubtedly
seen a lot of great places - why do you live in Richmond?

Ed Trask I live in Richmond because I feel it has a social
sensibility that is more conducive to how I want to live and
is located close to every angle of life I need.
I can surf an hour and half away and see the greatest art in
a 6-hour radius up and down the Eastern Seaboard. I can
also be constantly inspired by the overwhelming number
of talented musicians, painters, graffiti writers, fabricators
and designers. I love being a graduate of VCU (though
I might not fully agree with its business of late), for they
yearly produce a talented crop of painters and has placed
many of them into the New York beat and path. There is also
a nice, conservative kind of money developer in-crowd here
that can give endless inspiration to rebel against. I mean
c’mon, if you feel depressed you can go to the river. Want to
paint a mural? There are endless walls. Want to hear great
music that has inspired the world? It’s here. If you have
the need to get piss-faced drunk, there are many cheap
places. And there certainly is a camaraderie in Richmond
that I don’t feel anywhere else. I can feel happy supporting
my family in a cheaper Southern city. I have been here since
late 1985, and it has taken a few years, but I love and would
do anything for the good of this city.

ML In light of the upcoming 25th anniversary, which is your
favorite song from Thriller, and why?

ET I think I only know the zombie thriller video song. I guess
that’s Thriller, right? Hell, I don’t know, I wasn’t supposed
to like Mr. Jackson in my punk rock circles, and now being a
dad, I feel a bit creeped out by his fake nose plastic-assed
pedophile ways.

ML If you were in Senator Barack Obama’s position today in
this tight Democratic campaign, what would you do to finally
put Senator Clinton away?

ET I would ask her to be my Vice President, so Bill could
work his diplomatic magic and Hillary could help me with
her Washington insider ties. This has been a hard election
for me, because I was in support of Hillary, but I have been
swept up by the Obama message of hope and change. I do
feel along the lines of Maureen Dowd (New York Times)
that Hillary is solely responsible for her own downfall and,
if left alone, will simply implode, lose her superdelegates,
and finally give in. Barack’s recent speech defending his
ties to Reverend Wright was great, and I hate to say it,
but you have to agree with a lot of what Wright has to say,
maybe not in thirty-second sound bites taken from one hour
sermons, but on the whole, what his congregation stands
for and has accomplished.

ML If you never painted or picked up a drumstick, what field
would Ed Trask be succeeding in?

ET Plumber, writer, baseball player, mason, baker, hot dog
vendor, newsstand owner, soup car t owner, salesman for
anything, teacher, cab driver, salsa maker, hair stylist, lumberjack,
lineman, steelworker, professor, drywall, etc. You
see the problem is my ADD ass is constantly distracted by
something else. And I’ve thought about being all of these
things at one time. The idea that I can be an ar tist/musician
and be as flaky as I am is wonderful. I also abide by the
simple fact that you’re only going to get what you work for,
and with a strong work ethic and a bunch of luck, you can
be anything you want.

ML You are a Richmond art icon, made an entire city your
personal gallery, re-routed the Queen, played drums on
other continents, have a beautiful family, and you wear a
funny hat. What advice can you give a young Richmond ar tist
that decides to put the video game controllers down and
out-do Ed Trask?

ET Well first off, you could never out-do what I have for a
wife and a kid (and kid on the way). I somehow lucked into
the greatest wife I could ever imagine having. But, if you
really want to out-do me, go buy a bunch of vintage hats,
start painting on walls all over the city (starting illegally
and working up to the legal stuff). Meanwhile, tour seven
months out of the year and work any job you can to support
yourself until you have a big enough client base to simply
paint, play music and work a couple of restaurant shifts.
Then raise a couple of kids (harder than any of the other
shit), be a good husband, and still strive to be a better artist
and person. Try to read as much as you can and travel,
travel, travel. Let your life be defined by your experiences
with how other people live around the world. If you do all of
this, I don’t think it would be too hard to out-do me. I think
there are millions of better painters and artists out there
than me. I know this, but I have found a cool way to paint,
play music, survive and have a great life in Richmond. If
anybody can live a better life than this, fine. Let me watch
so I can learn something.

I’m so happy with the way Delux turned out thanks to Jared , Michelle, Harold, Helen for making it happen and thanks to Tommy and Chris Hulburt for saving my ass…

New paintings by Ed Trask
Opening reception April 18, 7-10pm
April 18-May 13, 2008
Eric Schindler Gallery

More than 20 new paintings will be on display April 18th, at the Eric Schindler Gallery Richmond , VA.
I love this gallery and you can feel the ghosts from past art that has hung on these walls for the past thirty years.