Derek Hess

This RUN includes a 1 inch black wood frame with UV-glass, foam core backing and ready to hang hardware.

"These are all Dr. Seuss fish mixed with the B-24 Liberator. They all have different markings from different theaters of the war they were based in.

Overall this is a continuing series of my fish morphed with World War II aircrafts. All of the fish are native North American species, except for the Dr. Seuss fish, which I am assuming are American as well.

Since this release is close to D-Day, many of the fish are marked with D-Day invasion stripes. The allies had all of their planes marked black and white so there would be less confusion during the landing.

Some of the adversaries in these pieces are my standard goldfish crackers, marked with either German or Japanese insignias." - Derek Hess

From concert posters to politically charged fine art pieces, Cleveland-based artist Derek Hess has tested the waters of both the music and art world for over 15 years.

Growth, in general, has been an unwavering theme throughout both Hess’ personal and professional life. From a young age, Hess was transfixed by his father Roy’s ability to create on paper the images of planes and tanks that his son had swimming in his head.

Always a fan of music, Hess began booking shows at the Euclid Tavern, a staple for cover bands and blues at the time. Hess soon began to curtail the format of the bands being brought to the tavern into something he liked and was comfortable with. He also started creating the promotional flyers for the shows using his own unique vision and a play off the bands names and genre.

More recently, Hess started a clothing line, Strhess, as well as Hessfest and the Strhess Tour, a collaboration of music and art that features bands such as Thursday, Shadow’s Fall, Stretch Arm Strong and Taking Back Sunday.

Hess’ art has been able to transcend genres as well as generations, which is icing on the cake for the artist. “At the end of the day I’d like, ideally, for all of my art to be technically sound. That, to me, is what makes a successful artist.”