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make or

break

ARTIST DIETRICH ROSTECK

HAS MAINTAINED TWO COM

PULSIONS SINCE HE WAS A

CHILD

TO MAKE THINGS AND

TO BREAK THINGS.

WITH ART

HE IS ABLE TO DO BOTH.

by:MorganCook

SILKSCREENING SHIRTS,

DRAWING AND OIL PAINTING ALL IN ONE SMALL ROOM,

HE TAKES THE NEGATIVE ENERGY THAT

DROVE HIM TO TRASH AND SMASH AND THROW ROCKS AS A KID AND MAKES SOMETHING WITH IT.

SHOW IT TO PEOPLE

AND IT JUST KIND OF SNOWBALLS INTO A BIG NICE POSITIVE THING,

YOU MEET NICE PEOPLE,

THEY DIG WHAT YOUR SAYING,

AND THEN MAYBE YOU INFLUENCE THEM TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE AND YOU KNOW,

IT CARRIES ON LIKE THAT."

Rosteck, who says his early aesthetic

awareness of his mother's outfits caused

family concern over his sexuality, was born

in Sault Ste Marie, grew up in Ottawa and

is now painting and living with his girl-

friend in Montreal. At 23, he has been sell-

ing work steadily since his first show at the

Attic four years ago. He claims that his

work as a teenager was blunt and offensive

but now feels there's a time and a place for

those things. "I no longer feel the need to

alienate people. I'm not as angry as I was

back then. Hormones I guess...". At 15 he

was creating make-believe flyers for imag-

inary punk bands like "Hillbilly Heroin" a

reference to Oxycontin. Much of Rosteck

could be seen as the persona of the classic

tortured/crazy artist. A dark brow, brood-

ing looks, premature grays, the same dark

clothes each day and non-conformity are

all authentic Rosteck and he under-

standibly chaffes at the idea that this could

be put-on glamour. Having become a

drifter while still a teenager after what

seems to be an uncertain childhood,

Rosteck was forced to prioritize early.

Having drawn for his entire life he

doesn't consider it a conscious act and

refers to his desire to create art as an "obses-

sive compulsive thing". He follows with

"Its just like, taking a dump or whatever

you know? Actually that's not a very good

metaphor but its the only one I can think of

normally. Its just like things build up in my

head and if I don't...its just its too much, I

find it really hard to function, have mood

swings, hard to think straight or focus on

anything really." As is the case with many

artists he finds the creation of art therapeu-

tic

Several years ago, while riding home

from his grandmother's funeral with his

family, Rosteck saw an advertisement for

an Artguise show of Dixon's work. Rosteck

saw the show, did a bit of research at the

library, and then went to SAW Gallery.

There he was able to see a mural done by

Dixon a.k.a Juan Carlos Noria, Pat

Thompson, and Derrick Mahaffey a.k.a.

Other. Hoping to find out more about this

artist who's work he found inspiring he

asked "Can you tell me more about this

Juan guy?" the response was "He's stand-

ing behind you". Rosteck turned, choked

up and "made an ass of myself" when con-

fronted with the talented, mulleted artist in

the flesh. "He was standing in line behind

me and my head exploded".Dixon has con-

tinued to inspire Rosteck and the two reg-

ularly correspond.

After living in Montreal for a year,

Rosteck feels somewhat at home. He

spends almost all his time in the studio,

reading, drawing or painting, neverthe-

less the artist is very fond of the city he

feels he fell in love with as a child. The

architecture of the city was what left a

lasting impression when he first visited

his aunt, a nun, in Montreal years ago.

Since then he has returned numerous

times including once getting side-tracked

while hitch-hiking to New Foundland.

Rosteck spoke French first, having a

French mother and an English father

adds much to the the Montreal experi-

ence, and moves as effortlessly between

the two as he does the sides of the brain.

An only child, raised by his mother, the

artist now has two step-sisters he feels

fiercely about. For Rosteck one of last

year's highest achievements was when

the youngest did a school project on him.

"I've been published in a bunch of stuff,

but like, ehn, it's still pretty cute when

your kid sister does something like that".

Rosteck claims that unusual people

buy his work. He registers shock even

now, while telling about a piece involving

pornographic reference and the juxtapo-

sition of religious symbols like doves and

fig leaves, "these really nice people push-

ing a little baby carriage with this two-

year old bought the painting". Others are

unable to clearly see the beauty in

Rosteck's work and this year, now that he

is receiving recognition, even on the

street, he is encountering more and more

opposition. Unwilling to see that

Rosteck's personality and art are authen-

tic some are quick to dismiss him."I've

been called all kinds of new insulting

things this year, " among them a racist

and a hack. "It pisses me off when it

comes out of left field and they totally

don't get it. Sometimes they don't even

give you a chance to explain it they just

shoot you down."

Rosteck's juxtaposed imagery are

intentional and more and more he aims to

form a narrative. His paintings are bright

and strong and draw from his early col-

lage-work to draw the viewer in and

break down their preconceptions. The

artist seems comfortable working on any

support but more and more an oil paint-

ing is his vehicle of choice. Rosteck wants

each element on the canvas to be repre-

sentative and for the whole to work cohe-

sively. He creates bold, arresting, pop-

imagery. The glossiness, bright colours

and realistic blending that oil paint pro-

vides are exceptionally well-suited to his

needs, "the drying time is perfect".

Regardless of the unfortunate fact

that "everyone's a critic" and Rosteck

being told by notables that "nobody's

going to buy that stuff", he is now regu-

larly contacted by several people who col-

lect his work. In the world of a young and

emerging artist, success cannot be gauged

by whether or not there is food on the

table. Rosteck says Montreal is a wonder-

ful place for exposure with many oppor-

tunities at all levels. He's done everything

from Pop Montreal flyers to silkscreening

clothes to hanging his work at "happen-

ings" and galleries. He feels he struggles

with the pressures to expose his work and

make friends with the right people versus

the experience of being part of art on a

grassroots level. An advocate for his

friends and accessible art, Rosteck still

worries about making it more lucrative as

the instability of being an artist takes it

toll. "I'm tired of trying to stay afloat...my

nerves are completely shot". A steadier

income would help to "relieve some

stress, because when you're broke it's

hard to focus on painting or anything,

you're just fixating on 'When am I gonna

eat?' 'When am I gonna pay rent?'". At

one point the artist was contacted by an

agent from L.A. who wanted to represent

him. The fee was larger than the artist

rent and in exchange Rosteck would sim-

ply need to change all the content of his

work. The conversation ended when the

aforementioned agent offered the services

of his interior decorator to help him get

started on the changes.

In return he is intensely supportive of

the artists surrounding him. He seems

driven to make his art as positive a part of

his community as possible. As always he

will be a participant in this years Art in

Strathcona park, an annual fundraiser

and art show put on by Ottawa's

Schizophrenia Society. Other plans for

the future include a group show with

Dixon, Pat Thompson, Derrick Mahaffey,

Andrew McCoy, Graham Robinson and

Kieran Blake. Blake, also from Ottawa, is

a talented guitar player who often works

in cahoots with Rosteck. The two have

done numerous shows together in the

past and work strongly as part of each

others support system.

For the meantime, Rosteck's work is

regularly on display at Black Sheep Betty

in Montreal. Open and flexible to what

the future will bring for him and his art.

At the same time he is intent on pushing

what he's doing onto a grander scale, big-

ger paintings and more shows. He is con-

stantly in contact with others in the com-

munity and spends long hours into the

night searching and emailing. As for put-

ting more food on the table, well he hopes

to silkscreen more shirts with his art. As he

says "everybody buys clothes".

billyketchup.deviantart.com/

myspace.com/kieranblake

	upfront magazine: dietrich rosteck exclusive
	make or break ARTIST DIETRICH ROSTECK HAS MAINTAINED TWO COM - PULSIONS SINCE HE WAS A CHILD TO MAKE THINGS AND TO BREAK THINGS. WITH ART HE IS ABLE TO DO BOTH. by:MorganCook SILKSCREENING SHIRTS, DRAWING AND OIL PAINTING ALL IN ONE SMALL ROOM, HE TAKES THE NEGATIVE ENERGY THAT DROVE HIM TO TRASH AND SMASH AND THROW ROCKS AS A KID AND MAKES SOMETHING WITH IT. SHOW IT TO PEOPLE AND IT JUST KIND OF SNOWBALLS INTO A BIG NICE POSITIVE THING, YOU MEET NICE PEOPLE, THEY DIG WHAT YOUR SAYING, AND THEN MAYBE YOU INFLUENCE THEM TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE AND YOU KNOW, IT CARRIES ON LIKE THAT." Rosteck, who says his early aesthetic awareness of his mother's outfits caused family concern over his sexuality, was born in Sault Ste Marie, grew up in Ottawa and is now painting and living with his girl- friend in Montreal. At 23, he has been sell- ing work steadily since his first show at the Attic four years ago. He claims that his work as a teenager was blunt and offensive but now feels there's a time and a place for those things. "I no longer feel the need to alienate people. I'm not as angry as I was back then. Hormones I guess...". At 15 he was creating make-believe flyers for imag- inary punk bands like "Hillbilly Heroin" a reference to Oxycontin. Much of Rosteck could be seen as the persona of the classic tortured/crazy artist. A dark brow, brood- ing looks, premature grays, the same dark clothes each day and non-conformity are all authentic Rosteck and he under- standibly chaffes at the idea that this could be put-on glamour. Having become a drifter while still a teenager after what seems to be an uncertain childhood, Rosteck was forced to prioritize early. Having drawn for his entire life he doesn't consider it a conscious act and refers to his desire to create art as an "obses- sive compulsive thing". He follows with "Its just like, taking a dump or whatever you know? Actually that's not a very good metaphor but its the only one I can think of normally. Its just like things build up in my head and if I don't...its just its too much, I find it really hard to function, have mood swings, hard to think straight or focus on anything really." As is the case with many artists he finds the creation of art therapeu- tic Several years ago, while riding home from his grandmother's funeral with his family, Rosteck saw an advertisement for an Artguise show of Dixon's work. Rosteck saw the show, did a bit of research at the library, and then went to SAW Gallery. There he was able to see a mural done by Dixon a.k.a Juan Carlos Noria, Pat Thompson, and Derrick Mahaffey a.k.a. Other. Hoping to find out more about this artist who's work he found inspiring he asked "Can you tell me more about this Juan guy?" the response was "He's stand- ing behind you". Rosteck turned, choked up and "made an ass of myself" when con- fronted with the talented, mulleted artist in the flesh. "He was standing in line behind me and my head exploded".Dixon has con- tinued to inspire Rosteck and the two reg- ularly correspond. After living in Montreal for a year, Rosteck feels somewhat at home. He spends almost all his time in the studio, reading, drawing or painting, neverthe- less the artist is very fond of the city he feels he fell in love with as a child. The architecture of the city was what left a lasting impression when he first visited his aunt, a nun, in Montreal years ago. Since then he has returned numerous times including once getting side-tracked while hitch-hiking to New Foundland. Rosteck spoke French first, having a French mother and an English father adds much to the the Montreal experi- ence, and moves as effortlessly between the two as he does the sides of the brain. An only child, raised by his mother, the artist now has two step-sisters he feels fiercely about. For Rosteck one of last year's highest achievements was when the youngest did a school project on him. "I've been published in a bunch of stuff, but like, ehn, it's still pretty cute when your kid sister does something like that". Rosteck claims that unusual people buy his work. He registers shock even now, while telling about a piece involving pornographic reference and the juxtapo- sition of religious symbols like doves and fig leaves, "these really nice people push- ing a little baby carriage with this two- year old bought the painting". Others are unable to clearly see the beauty in Rosteck's work and this year, now that he is receiving recognition, even on the street, he is encountering more and more opposition. Unwilling to see that Rosteck's personality and art are authen- tic some are quick to dismiss him."I've been called all kinds of new insulting things this year, " among them a racist and a hack. "It pisses me off when it comes out of left field and they totally don't get it. Sometimes they don't even give you a chance to explain it they just shoot you down." Rosteck's juxtaposed imagery are intentional and more and more he aims to form a narrative. His paintings are bright and strong and draw from his early col- lage-work to draw the viewer in and break down their preconceptions. The artist seems comfortable working on any support but more and more an oil paint- ing is his vehicle of choice. Rosteck wants each element on the canvas to be repre- sentative and for the whole to work cohe- sively. He creates bold, arresting, pop- imagery. The glossiness, bright colours and realistic blending that oil paint pro- vides are exceptionally well-suited to his needs, "the drying time is perfect". Regardless of the unfortunate fact that "everyone's a critic" and Rosteck being told by notables that "nobody's going to buy that stuff", he is now regu- larly contacted by several people who col- lect his work. In the world of a young and emerging artist, success cannot be gauged by whether or not there is food on the table. Rosteck says Montreal is a wonder- ful place for exposure with many oppor- tunities at all levels. He's done everything from Pop Montreal flyers to silkscreening clothes to hanging his work at "happen- ings" and galleries. He feels he struggles with the pressures to expose his work and make friends with the right people versus the experience of being part of art on a grassroots level. An advocate for his friends and accessible art, Rosteck still worries about making it more lucrative as the instability of being an artist takes it toll. "I'm tired of trying to stay afloat...my nerves are completely shot". A steadier income would help to "relieve some stress, because when you're broke it's hard to focus on painting or anything, you're just fixating on 'When am I gonna eat?' 'When am I gonna pay rent?'". At one point the artist was contacted by an agent from L.A. who wanted to represent him. The fee was larger than the artist rent and in exchange Rosteck would sim- ply need to change all the content of his work. The conversation ended when the aforementioned agent offered the services of his interior decorator to help him get started on the changes. In return he is intensely supportive of the artists surrounding him. He seems driven to make his art as positive a part of his community as possible. As always he will be a participant in this years Art in Strathcona park, an annual fundraiser and art show put on by Ottawa's Schizophrenia Society. Other plans for the future include a group show with Dixon, Pat Thompson, Derrick Mahaffey, Andrew McCoy, Graham Robinson and Kieran Blake. Blake, also from Ottawa, is a talented guitar player who often works in cahoots with Rosteck. The two have done numerous shows together in the past and work strongly as part of each others support system. For the meantime, Rosteck's work is regularly on display at Black Sheep Betty in Montreal. Open and flexible to what the future will bring for him and his art. At the same time he is intent on pushing what he's doing onto a grander scale, big- ger paintings and more shows. He is con- stantly in contact with others in the com- munity and spends long hours into the night searching and emailing. As for put- ting more food on the table, well he hopes to silkscreen more shirts with his art. As he says "everybody buys clothes". billyketchup.deviantart.com/ myspace.com/kieranblake