The Davmo Lisa

First of all is the “dav” in davmo pronounced like have or like crave? And why the pseudonym?

The “dav” is pronounced like the word “have”. It actually wasn’t my idea at all to start working as and signing my work as “davmo”. It’s a really long story and a personal one but in 1998 I wanted to legally change my name. My grandfather was never supportive of my art and the subject often caused fights when I was growing up. After he died I really hated that I would have to sign his name onto my work so I actually looked into getting a legal name change. During this time a friend of mine who I worked with said “why don’t you just sign your work davmo?” It was already a name I was familiar with as it was part of my email address and he had already for some time called me “davmo” while we used to go surfing and also at work. So the nickname kind of stuck. The first time I ever showed my work with the “davmo” signature I didn’t let on that I was the artist. I remember standing back and watching people try to figure it out and there was many people who thought that it was five people who actually did the work and each letter of the word “davmo” was their first initial. It was kind of funny to me but using another name gave me the distance and separation that I thought that I needed especially back then. Also it really didn’t help that I was also adopted at a young age and had already had one legal name change. So growing up when something like that happens to you it’s sort of hard not to have some kind issues with identity so switching names in mid stream really didn’t bother me when I finally decided to start signing my work “davmo”. I am more concerned about having my work stand on its own and not be at all concerned with me or my name. I am just the guy behind the curtain pulling the levers and making smoke.

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