Share this
Preston Douglas is an artist and designer born in Houston, Texas, most known for his unique interdisciplinary practice combining elements of abstract painting, fashion, and performance art. Coming up in the local art scene under the mentorship of artist Mark Flood, Douglas left an impression by demonstrating his ability to tell stories through fashion. A notable example is his reinterpretation of his former high school uniforms in the “Saint Johns” collection. In his ongoing series of “zipper paintings,” Douglas delves into the impact of corporations on contemporary culture by transforming well-known logos into three-dimensional abstractions, using fashion fabric as his canvas.
In this interview with Overstandard, the Houston native offers a peek into his daily life in Los Angeles, his love for the modern fashion scene, and his admiration for worship music.
How did you come up with the concept of the “zipper paintings” series?
I moved to NYC, in August of 2019, into a 300 sq ft studio apartment. My fashion and painting studio were both on a single little wall, so those once separate practices were forced to become one. I realized that canvas and linen are just fabric at the end of the day, so why am I relegating myself to these two traditional painterly mediums when I have such an understanding, knowledge and personal history with all sorts of other fabrics from my previous years in the fashion industry? I began exploring different mark making techniques and settled back on dye sublimation which I had been using in my fashion practice for many years.
The first fabric paintings I made were called the “CTHRUME” paintings, and, as the title alludes to, these were transparent fabrics such as chiffon or organza, most of which were black and white since these particular fabrics don’t hold saturated color as well. I loved making these works, but I also love color, so I began trying to figure out a way to incorporate that back into my practice. These transparent paintings address the inherent sculptural nature of my work as the viewer can see the wall and stretcher bars through the painting. The zippers are an extension of that idea, as well as an intentionally ironic nod to the late, great Barnett Newman’s classic “zips.” I loved the connection from one New York artist to another and relating to my love of abstract expressionism. I also thought a lot about Marcel Duchamp’s famous work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Étant donnés, and how the zippers really function as portals. What happens if the viewer were to walk through these zippers, what world of Preston Douglas would they enter? And this is what then led me to my installation work.
Can you elaborate on the thought process behind which recognizable logos you decided to feature in the series?
I always have a running list of people, places and things that I love or hate, things that maybe feel like they dominate my life or society. Sometimes they are quite serious, sometimes they are quite cliché. I think of distorting these logos in my scanner as removing power from whatever cultural convictions they may imbue in themselves, and then turning them into contemporary brushstrokes of our times.
What are your opinions about the current state of fashion?
I love it overall, maybe because I’m not trying to participate completely in it. There are so many insanely talented and creative people and young designers, in particular, all over the world doing such interesting work. I recently have fallen in love with it as an observer and on a consumer level again. I feel like I stumble across something absolutely amazing every day, from someone I’ve never heard of and may never see again. It’s quite overwhelming honestly. The aspect I least like about fashion is the idea of the influencer as creative director, but I understand those decisions from a more corporate, financial sense. I do like the Warholian nature of the fashion times we live in though.
Is there anything specific you would like to see more of in the fashion world?
I’d like to see artists at the helm of bigger brands. I think once this idea of the influencer as creative director trend has run its course, there will be a punk rock-esque resurgence of underground artists pushing back against this in an extravagant, revolutionary way. I’m excited about fashion as a part of the entire world-building process, exploring spirituality in clothing, focusing on technological advancements of organic fibers, and moving away from plastic in everything we wear.
Having been born and raised in Houston, what is your perspective on the city’s fashion scene?
Houstonians are cultural producers in an underground way. We touch every aspect of creative industries, but amazing visual artists and musicians in particular. It’s too hot most of the year for real fashion to come out of the city. I had to live away from Texas for a few years to fall completely in love with this idea of the boots, blue jeans, and button down look. I fantasize about one day when I can recreate this in my own way. But that isn’t really even Houston. There’s actually something quite beautiful about no one caring what you’re wearing or creating that gives me a lot of freedom.
Given that your art spans paintings, fashion, and performance art, do you ever find it challenging to balance all of these art forms at the same time?
It can all be overwhelming at times but now that I have reframed my practice in my mind over the past year in particular, it feels right.
You currently also have an art project named “Repurposed Religion” that you described as a “spiritual, non-religious, immersive performance.” What’s your relationship with spirituality?
Spirituality is the most important aspect of my life. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around. I have been thinking a lot about this idea of God being everything lately, and grappling with my human addiction to duality. The yin and the yang in balance of perfect oneness.
How do you hope viewers will engage with your work?
I hope the zipper paintings can provide an intense, overwhelming, and immersive sense of beauty in people’s lives upon initial interaction, and, upon further exploration, lead to questioning their perspectives of our reality in a social, political and cultural sense.
Nowadays, you are based in Los Angeles. How would you describe the differences in the art scenes between Houston and Los Angeles?
Los Angeles feels like a great combination of New York and Houston. Life here is more similar to that of living in Houston but the people are much more akin to New Yorkers. There seems to be limitless possibilities in the art scene here. A big reason I moved to LA after four years in NYC is because I feel that the scope and scale of my work currently fits better in the gallery context of what’s happening here now. I have always dreamt of Houston being the next major art destination and one of my life goals is to open a contemporary art museum there actually. But I feel it will probably remain a hidden gem. I’d like to reimagine the spirit of the Menil’s in a hyper-contemporary way.
Could you guide us through a typical day in Los Angeles for you?
I don’t have a set routine for everyday life since my work is quite varying in medium. I wake up earlier in the morning, force myself to pray and do some manifestations before I power up the iPhone, just to see a bite out of the Apple logo. I think of that metaphor-turned-reality every morning. I’ve made lots of paintings with the Apple logo. I’ve been making the majority of my zipper paintings, at least the iPad collaging portion, at Wi Spa, a Korean spa here. I joke that Wi Spa is my studio. I don’t have a painting studio at the moment, as has been the case a number of times in my life, which forces me to think about how to make paintings with no brush, no paint and no canvas. Something boundary pushing always comes out of these times in my work.
I know that you’re a big fan of Wes Anderson, with “Rushmore” being somewhat of an inspiration for your Saint Johns collection. Have there been any particular music, movies, or literature that have inspired your more recent work?
Yes, I love Wes so much. It’s a dream to assist with costume design for one of his movies one day. I am rewatching The Royal Tenenbaums right now for probably the tenth time. My first studio in NYC was very close to where that was filmed actually!
I’ve been listening to a lot of choir-based worship music and this will often bring me to tears. The sheer power in numbers, the healing energy, I just love envisioning performances to music like this. The mantras in lots of the songs are just so powerful. After hearing a million people tell me to watch Saltburn, I finally caved and absolutely loved the aesthetic nature of that film, almost as if it’s the dark British underbelly of Rushmore. I am excited to finally watch Poor Things. I’ve been reading and studying parts of the Bible for the first time, and that’s been a wild experience thus far, as well as Transforming Your Dragons by Jose Stevens.
What’s your favorite music genre and why?
That changes but right now it’s definitely worship music. There is so much power in the frequency of music since we are energy at the end of the day, and I am way more particular with what I allow in my consciousness now that I am aware of this fact. There is so much programming that happens with music, both for better and worse. I have been fascinated with healing frequencies as well, but streaming platforms don’t allow for full healing frequencies to occur due to the nature of their software, so these things must be experienced live. I am excited to experiment with these healing frequencies in future performances and sound work.
As a Mark Flood protege, in what ways has his influence and art shaped your own artistic practice?
Mark is my favorite artist and one of my best friends. I love him and his work so much. He is a true artist, and I aspire to be that. He is one of the funniest and most generous people I know, and I hope to bring that energy into deep, real and oftentimes challenging work that I create as well. Mark encouraged me to make art about and through things that should “disqualify” me as being an artist and that opened the doors to me in a major way. I still resort to that feedback in my own practice even though it’s oftentimes uncomfortable to do so. And that’s when I know I’m getting somewhere.
How has your art and the way you create evolved over time?
I am much more open to working in various mediums under this idea of being an artist. And I’m okay with that. There is so much freedom and excitement in being able to explore and delve into different projects, whether it be an album, a performance or a painting series and then return to my core as who I really am, an artist. As a side note, I would encourage anyone who is a creative and wants a challenge in their lives to get The Artist’s Way and try to follow that program for some time.
Do you have any new goals or projects in mind for the coming year?
I am working on a new performance that will happen in Paris in the future. This will be the debut of a spiritual couture experience I am launching called 77EAVEN, as my official return back to “fashion” through the lens of art. We are getting ready to start with our first client and that is very exciting. I have my first museum exhibition happening this Spring. I’m doing some art direction for some big musicians. We’ll see what else God has in store!