Artist's Statements
Aerosol Art
Photographer Harbert Drake views contemporary graffiti as works of prophets who project their frustrations, fears, love and hope through vibrant self-portraits, bizarre masks, animal symbols and prose on boxcars and back-ally block. This photography preserves an expression of ethnic art.

Enamored with motifs from Hispanic, Hawaiian and Western cultures, he ahs handcrafted a western saddle and collects vintage Hawaiian shirts, and horse bridles, as well as phonograph records.

His photographs of Buckaroos & Aerosol art have been shown at Grapefields, The Little Theater, Verve Coffee &  Art House, Pendleton Arts Central and is at several private collections.

Design from the obsolete is his forte; his sculpture from discarded metal and bowling balls, was once displayed in his former Palouse Street backyard.

Buckaroos
The Western region, also known as “The Great Basin” or Buckaroo Country, consists of Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and California. My “Buckaroo” collection is an engaging portrait of the men and women who live in the least populous region of our nation.

Their regional customs include horsemanship; languages; style of dress, such as flat crown hats; silver bits and spurs; hand braided rawhide ropes (reata); and colorful oversized bandanas (wild rags). A way of life that has evolved for over 700 years struggles amid conflicting views over the use of public lands.