Drake Deknatel was a well established Northwest artist who spent close to half of the year in Germany exhibiting his work and participating in foreign residencies. Deknatel’s recent body of work, "Philosophy Of Desire",is a direct reflection of the time he has spent in Germany. Deknatel died last Friday afternoon at the Cafe Paloma. He was 62. A memorial will be held on Monday, November 28th, at the Catherine Person Gallery, 319 Third Ave. S., in Pioneer Square, (206-763-5565). The gallery will be open at 5, there will be some food and wine, and the remembrance will begin at 6. After the memorial, all are welcome at the Rendezvous in Belltown for more food, drink, and memories.Come if you're able to, share your memories with friends, and celebrate a life lived to its fullest. Drake Deknatel photo by Davis Freeman
 "From the earliest stages of my life in art my work has reflected the world around my self; the political world and my environment. I have thought much on the subject of Dasein, or ‘being’, more exactly, ‘being here’. Perhaps, too much.
At first, I made work that intended to mirror processes that occur in nature, such as accretion and erosion. When I lived on the Oregon Coast this made sense to me.
When I moved to Seattle in 1981 the rhythm and pace of daily life and the connection to the world beyond brought me to a re - evaluation of my motive.
In time I wanted my work to encompass a more personal and human-centric experiencing of being in the world... In the mid 1980’s I began working with the figure. Painting and drawing directly from models in constant motion. One of the themes that evolved from this work was the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
A metaphoric root cause of the current state of the world.
Working in Berlin and Seattle, my work alludes increasingly to the time and situation into which I was born, the “ge-worfenfenheit” that shapes the world as I see it and am affected by it."
- Drake Deknatel
 At a recent public forum Drake Deknatel used phrases like "painting in the digital age"and "painting is the original virtual reality". He discussed painting as a tactile relationship and opined that "drawing is the oldest form of computer graphic". He made a distinction between visual literacy and television [tele] literacy which was very insightful.
 FREDERICK H 'DRAKE" DEKNATEL was born in New York City in 1943. He studied from 1968 - 69 with Hazel Larsen Archer (Tucson Art Center), Tucson, AZ and from 1965 - 68 University of Arizona, Department of Art,Tucson, AZ in 1963 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL as recently as 1996 he studied with Narcissus Qualigliata, Bullseye Glass, Portland, OR . He exhibited with the Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, OR from 1991-2004. He also has exhibited at Galerie Michael Schultz in Berlin and Galerie Schlieper, Neustadt-Gödens, Germany. In 2005 he participated in the Inaugural Exhibition at the Catherine Person Gallery, Seattle, Washington.
His work can be found in the public collections of: Neue Bibliothek, Sande, Germany Dachau Memorial Foundation, Dachau, Germany City of Seattle City Light Portable works Collection Oregon State Capital Collection Oregon State University, Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center Library City of Newport, Oregon, library Lutheran National Fine Arts Collection Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM. He was recognized in 1989 by the Seattle Arts Commission:Seattle Artists'89" at the Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA, "Northwest Annual", with jurors Leon Golub & Nancy Spero.
Read Regina Hackett's Article Here
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