Courtesy photo ‘Aero/Eschatological Trajectory II' is an acrylic and oil enamel on canvas.

WHO: J. Derrick Durham, 39

BEST KNOWN FOR: Paintings that Durham says hover between pop art and minimalism; politically overt multimedia installations. In his “highly metaphorical” paintings, Durham gravitates toward a particular form and uses it repeatedly throughout the series. “I really don't try to draw too much attention to the individual pieces. To me the piece is the show. I try to subsume the pieces in the environment they're in,” he said.

When it comes to installations, “I kind of create spectacles,” Durham said, transforming a space with sight and sound so that when viewers return to the same gallery months later, they retain the image of the environment Durham created. For a show at C-Art Gallery about voyeurism and surveillance society, viewers walked between fences containing peepholes through which they could peer to see videos, while they were also being watched themselves.

ON THE WEB: jddurham.com

BACKGROUND: Durham was born and raised in Texas, earning his BFA in painting and drawing from Texas State University in 2003 and his MFA in painting from UTSA in 2006. Before he got to college, he played in a punk rock band, did graphic design for bands in San Marcos and Austin and ran an experimental music radio show with sound installations on a pirated frequency. “I lived the life of a lowbrow artistic heathen for a number of years,” he said.

INFLUENCES: Joseph Beuys' installations and philosophy of art; the reductivist paintings of Daniel Buren.

DAY JOB: Durham teaches beginning and advanced painting at Texas State.

CHECK HIM OUT: Durham's paintings are up at Joan Grona Gallery, 112 Blue Star, through March 1. Call (210) 225-6334 or visit joangronagallery.com.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor