The Return of the Booger Man is a recent painting by North Carolina artist Todd Drake who specializes in community-influenced art. This painting in based on doodles Drake collected from employees at Harrah’s Casino, while visiting a Cherokee reservation . It is part of his Et Al series which relies on input from Drake’s community at large. Little Is Needed For a Happy Life is influenced by cashiers working at retail outlets in Drake’s neighbourhood, whereas Et Al #5 comes to us via the housekeeping staff at the University of North Carolina. Drake keeps a journal surrounding each of these projects – it is fascinating to read about the participants, such as the long distance truck drivers upon whom Et Al #4 is based. Drake’s goal in all this to connect the personal with the universal, an artist’s attempt to make sense of it all.

Artist: Todd Drake
+ tdrake.com