BetweentheBeats
Born to create Reclusive Durango artist blends music, art & culinary by Stephen Sellers
kid. We didn’t have couches or anything. I was sitting in the corner, and my uncle was ablo Picasso once said that all chilwatching TV. I was drawing things in dren are born artists. The probthe air with my finger. If I drew a cirlem, he thought, was how to cle, I could see that circle for a few remain an artist as we grow up. minutes. So, I would keep For local Renaissance man adding on to it. So it was like, Ralph De Vera, the power of “If I add this, it looks like a discovery is what’s at the monkey.” One time, my center of thriving as an uncle looked over to me artist here or anywhere. and was like, “Would you De Vera is akin to stop doing that? You’re covert British street artist creeping me out! What and activist Banksy. He are you doing?” But, I keeps a low profile socould seriously see cially and has virtually these shapes floating in no digital footprint. He the air that I had eschews social media, drawn. I never really focusing on curating drew anything on genuine, analog experipaper, because we ences like pop-up dinweren’t supposed to. We ners, pop-art shows and were supposed to use community-focused drawpaper for learning. ing classes. If you enIt sounds like movcounter his work, consider ing to Durango was a yourself really, really lucky. huge transition. During the week, De Vera Yeah, moving to Durango helps manage the kitchen of Duwas culture shock. I was getting rango’s beloved El Moro Tavern. In bullied really hard, and that’s when the rest of his time, he is a perpetual I started to channel my energy more machine of creativity, making world intentionally with music and art. It was class charcoal super bad. I’m sure it still is. There were no paintings, expericampaigns about it back then. My art teachers, I menting with mindtold a couple of them. And they were like, Charcoal drawing by De Vera. melting culinary “You can sit here, but you have to work. You techniques and have to pick up the paper and do the work writing metal/hardcore riffs on his guiwe’re doing.” So, I started producing stuff. Charcoal, pencil, watertar. His apartment is less a living space color. I did all of it, so I could stay out of those classes. and more a blend of high-end test What have you been working on lately? kitchen, DIY music studio and drawing Over the summer, I threw some pop-up dinners. These are all space. my creative outlets. I’m focused on three things. If I’m not doing This last summer, a few friends and I music, I’m doing culinary or fine art. As I’m getting older, I’m A rare glimpse of joined De Vera for a seven-course popstarting to figure out the flow and the understanding that I don’t Ralph De Vera up dinner he hosted at his apartment. need to impress anyone. All this stuff is to take care of my mental Hands down, I’ve never had a more inhealth and my physical health. spiring culinary experience in Durango, or frankly, anywhere. It Where do you get your inspiration? was practically a supernatural experience. That’s the biggest and hardest thing about being creative. It De Vera embodies the spirit of so many artists in Durango. feels cocky to say, but yourself is your biggest inspiration. If Head down, focused on the process, doing it for the love and to you’re sad and down, create darker stuff. I went with charcoal leave a positive mark on the community. In the spirit of giving early on, because I wasn’t doing well, because of bullying or relamore space to Durango’s working-class artisans, I couldn’t wait to tionship issues. Now, I’ve come to realize that this is just a part of sit down with De Vera to discover more. me. And it’s OK. If you’re crying your eyes out, create something Where did you grow up? sad. Use your own energy to feed into that. Then, when you’re In 2002, I moved from the Philippines, where I grew up, happy, you’re gonna remember that sad song you wrote, play it straight to Durango. How crazy is that?! I was 15 years old. I refor someone. I guarantee you, it will pull on their heartstrings. ally didn’t have friends for a while when I moved here. I was a You keep a pretty low profile despite producing freshman in high school from the complete opposite side of the amazing food, art and music. Why? world. It was like living in a movie. I like the natural discovery. When I was working at Nini’s, I’d The first 15 years of my life, I did not care about any kind of draw small things and put them in Saran wrap and put it all over music or media. I grew up poor. It was just game shows on the TV town. Like, “Here’s my Instagram, I hope you enjoy.” I’d always in the Philippines. I was basically running around the city just drop shit at the train station. It’s fun, learning and sharing. doing crazy, feral shit with my friends. That was more fun for me. What keeps you in Durango? We were doing little kid crime. Always getting in trouble. We would In Durango, you can do anything. It all comes down to how gamble with the little money we did have or just take off. Ride much money you wanna make. If you wanna make a lot of buses for hours and hours. Parents didn’t know where we were. money, get noticed really fast, go to Denver. But, what makes DuWhen did you discover your passion and talent for vi- rango special is that I feel the love and it feels genuine. I know sual art? these people, we recognize each other. They do the same thing, Growing up in the Philippines. I was sitting on a chair as a so they understand how much work goes into it.
P
telegraph
Feb. 10, 2022 n 11
