¡Presentando a Dave y Ug!
If you’ve spent any time looking through the art on this site—or if you’re even slightly familiar with my work—you’ve probably noticed two recurring figures: strange, humanoid forms that vaguely resemble a cow and a bear. They tend to show up often, sometimes in bizarre or abstract variations. I figured I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t at least try to offer some kind of context for who they are, or why they keep appearing. So I thought a good way to get this blog started would be to give them a proper introduction and share a bit of background on where they came from.
Dave, the anthropomorphic cow often seen wearing business-casual attire, has been appearing in my drawings for about as long as long as I can remember. Based on a stuffed toy that I was inseparable from as a kid (and that I may or may not still be in possession of to this day), Dave was a central character in many doodles and comic strips in notebooks and on the backs of homework assignments, starring in adventures loosely inspired by whatever movies or TV shows I’d watched recently. As evidenced by the 1992 example seen below, logic wasn't one of my strong suits, but there would usually be some kind of moderately coherent plot, at least.
As I got older and began to experience more of the wonders, contradictions, and various assorted traumas that life had to offer, my creative voice evolved and mutated in kind. Dave remained a frequent subject, but the narratives grew less literal. The stories weren't usually stories anymore; sometimes they were just moments, or moods. Visually, things started to fall apart, and the drawings became more chaotic and abstract. Dave became less of a hero saving the day and more of a vague metaphor for the ridiculousness of modern life.
This drawing from 2007 shows a rapidly deteriorating Dave attempting to converse with a small puppet effigy of Ug, while the “real” Ug lies face down in the background.
Ug, the eyeless teddy bear perpetually dressed in a stained tank top and sweatpants, began appearing sometime in the mid-aughts as kind of a foil to Dave. He was also based on a childhood toy, but while Dave remained the dominant presence, Ug was more of a passive observer. He didn't contribute or try to intervene, and yet somehow seemed to be the only one who had any idea what was really going on.
A Spirited Office Discussion of the Career Trajectory of Lou Reed is a 2009 painting that depicts Dave and Ug in a dim office scene that feels less like a place of work and more like a memory of one.
Sometime around 2014, I decided I wanted to break out of my usual style and try something different. After years of building work around these recurring characters that had started to become second nature, I felt the need to shift direction — partly out of curiosity, and partly to see what would happen if I let go of what felt safe. I turned my focus to portraiture, and eventually branched out into more experimental territory. The work became more scattered and chaotic, incorporating digital textures, found imagery and mixed media. I wasn't chasing a single style, but just trying to keep moving and exploring new ideas.
At some point in 2020, after years of breaking away from old habits and working in different modes, it felt right to revisit Dave and Ug again. It was a tumultuous year for everyone, and like many people, I found myself turning inward and looking for something familiar to hold on to. The idea of returning to these characters didn't feel like a retreat, but like reconnecting with a language that I hadn't spoken in a long time. I still don't always know what they represent, if anything. They've been distorted, pulled apart, remixed, and put back together in countless ways, but they continue to be a lingering presence in what I do.
Dave and Ug don’t represent a single idea. They’ve taken on meaning when I needed them to, and served no purpose at all in other moments. I’ve drawn them for long enough that they’ve become part of the structure, whether or not they’re visible. They’ve changed as the work has changed, and they probably will again. I can’t always explain what they’re doing, but it’s hard to imagine the work without them in it somewhere.
