“Alex has been creative since a very young age, almost out of the womb. I have a picture of him in his highchair with a set of watercolors which he used to paint himself as well as the paper,” recalled Joe Dreher with a laugh. We were sitting together in the gallery space at Echo Contemporary that he and his family arranged to showcase his son Alex’s artwork.
Surrounded by vibrant, colorful, energetic paintings that depict cartoonish figures, mostly skeletons and amphibian-looking creatures from his imagination, I was immersed in the works of the late Alexander Joseph Dreher, known as DEADO in the art community.
With sayings that include “The Freaks Are Out,” “Gotta Blast,” “And Now Here’s Something You’ll Really Like,” and “See The Truth in Lies,” the pieces offer an insight into the inner world of a talented young artist gone too soon.
Credit: Family handout
Credit: Family handout
To understand how we got here we first have to get to know the young man who spent his life feverishly creating art. As recounted by his father Joe, Alex was always creative. He filled their home with creations. Sketchbooks full of collages, stacks and stacks of canvases, and even random wood and cardboard scraps were transformed into unique artworks. Alex was a compulsive artist, and his creativity and drive to create seemingly had no bounds.
“He was the true artist in the house,” said Joe, who is also a respected muralist and photographer in the local art scene. “He’d paint a piece and sell it on Instagram the same day. Everything we have on display here is only a fraction of his work.”
Alex was a preteen during the 2008 recession and Joe recounted that he was working as an architect at the time. When the economy began to suffer Joe’s income did as well. This threw him into a depression that affected the entire family. “He acted out as a teenager, and we got counseling at his school,” continued Joe, “and they suggested Living Walls.”
Alex’s mother, Treasure, insisted that Alex and his father try their hands at volunteering and painting with Living Walls, The City Speaks. Living Walls was founded in 2009 by Monica Campana and Blacki Migliozzi, and it quickly rose to a position of great esteem in the Atlanta art scene. Still going strong under the leadership of Campana, it has proved to be an invaluable resource for artists and has enlivened blank walls with unique art both locally and abroad.
Credit: Family handout
Credit: Family handout
And for 15-year-old Alex, Living Walls was a lifeline.
“That first day we saw a creative kid go from being alone in his room drawing in his sketchbook and feeling alienated to being out on the street with these other artists. These artists were equally as interested in his sketchbooks as he was in their murals and accepted him as part of their tribe,” said Joe. “One day we were invited to a dinner at the Goat Farm and he came up to Treasure and said ‘I think I found my people.’”
Alex and his family quickly became deeply invested in the Atlanta art scene, and it was a sense of belonging that he had been searching for his whole life.
“It set us on this trajectory,” continued Joe, who commended the notable figures who helped Alex become involved with local arts. Living Walls Board President Lionel Flax, whose grandfather opened the art supply store Sam Flax, introduced Alex to the now shuttered One Love Generation non-profit teen art organization run by Jennifer Lingvall.
Rory Hawkins, the artist known as Catlanta, took Alex under his wing as a mentor. “Alex was a force of energy both in life and in the work he produced,” said Hawkins.
“While we were technically paired up for a mentor/mentee program, we quickly became creative peers working on collaborations and painting exercises together during that time. Those afternoons were spent painting for the joy of it, pushing ourselves creatively, and learning from each other’s differences. It felt like he was always creating in some way, either bringing in sketchbooks filled to the brim with illustrations, stickers, and collected ephemera from his daily life or a pile of canvases he had painted the week before. It was so inspiring to see his passion and prolific output, drawing or painting on any scrap he could find.”
Credit: Isadora Pennington
Credit: Isadora Pennington
Known for his murals and the tiny woodcut cats that he hid all over town for #FAFATL, Hawkins had a wealth of experience to share with Alex. “We maintained contact once the program ended and worked together on several mural projects over the years. He was almost always down to help on any creative endeavor as long as he got enough sleep the night before. It was wonderful to see him maintain the same passion for art throughout while expanding his ideas and techniques to create some really impressive work,” recalled Hawkins.
“He was a true creative and free spirit and that energy he shared with those who knew him still lives in the work he left behind.”
Artist Samuel Parker, who now resides in Louisville, Kentucky, invited Alex to paint a mural over in Cabbagetown. “Alex was so enthused about life and about making art. He had the full support of Joe and Treasure, whether what he created was legal or not, and he inspired his father to push his own art. He reminded me of myself as a young artist, bristling with ideas, exploring the bounds of his ego. The boy was full of potential.”
Through these connections to the Atlanta art scene, Alex began to truly come into his own as an artist. But it wasn’t all happy times for the young man. Behind closed doors, Alex dealt with anxiety and physical health issues brought on by a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. The condition is the result of a too-tight space between a person’s upper rib and clavicle which can cause a pinched vein, limited blood flow, and blood clots.
“He called us one day, I was up at Hambidge, and he said my arm is blue and numb. He went to the hospital and was there for three days,” recalled Joe. The only relief Alex would get is through a surgery to remove his upper rib and begin a regimen of blood thinners. He was diagnosed with the condition in 2021, and it took until September of 2022 that he finally had the procedure.
Credit: Isadora Pennington
Credit: Isadora Pennington
As a young man who was passionate and zealous about making art – which he used as a form of therapy to manage his anxiety – it was devastating to feel limited by his physical condition. He was also quite disturbed by the knowledge that a bone, part of his body, had been removed. You can actually see him reckoning with this loss in one of his pieces. While the surgery provided relief to the vein, the damage was lasting and it was a condition he would have to treat for life. Between the physical and mental anguish, it was overwhelming to the young man.
One fateful night in October of 2022 it all became too much for Alex, and he took his own life.
“The tears are healing, but I kind of worried that this would be the issue in talking about it all the time,” Treasure told me as she wiped away tears from her eyes. During my conversation with Joe she had been welcoming viewers to the exhibition, showing them around, pointing out her favorite pieces, and telling and retelling the story about her talented son gone too soon. There was pain in her voice, but also joy, and a mother’s endless love.
For parents Joe and Treasure and Alex’s brother Max, this exhibit serves as both a celebration of Alex’s life and an outlet for their grief. “It’s good, I want to do my best as his mom to focus on his life and how long he was with me instead of focusing on his passing,” said Treasure. “But it’s hard. Grief is hard.”
Over the course of the last year, their first without their son, they have been finding ways to cope with his absence. They cleared out his apartment, transferring an incredible array of art to Joe’s studio. When they were discussing how to honor Alex’s memory, they knew that they needed to find a way to showcase his creativity and talent. Not only that, but they wanted to offer a perspective into the connection between art as therapy and the mental health struggles of young people.
“It’s more important for us just to share it, to see if we can connect with organizations that support mental health issues and suicide prevention and the other things people deal with,” said Joe. “We are using it as an example of someone who used art as a form of therapy. Ultimately it didn’t save him but it kept him here as long as he was.”
Credit: Isadora Pennington
Credit: Isadora Pennington
The Drehers have leased the space for a three month period and will likely extend it to the end of the year. From loved ones, family, and friends to art purveyors exploring the galleries of Echo Contemporary, there was a steady stream of curious viewers coming in and learning about this talented young man during my visit. While they are not ready to sell Alex’s original pieces, they have made some stickers and shirts that they are selling to help offset the costs of the exhibition. They are also considering making prints of a select few pieces to sell as well.
“In October it will be a year since he passed, and we are just happy to have finally found a way to share his work with everybody,” said Joe. “It has been helpful for us in dealing with our grief and processing the loss. We hope it’s helpful for other people as well. It has given us a way to find some joy and happiness and to be able to celebrate him.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, consider the following resources that incorporate an art practice with therapy:
- In Marietta, the Art It Out Therapy Center provides creative counseling for children, teens, and adults.
- In Midtown, Peachtree Creative Counseling, LLC offers art therapy for individuals as well as groups.
- Active Resistance Counseling and Coaching located in Studioplex in Old Fourth Ward provides Expressive Art Therapy to create in a non-judgmental environment.
- For individuals facing an immediate mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, reach out for help with resources from the NAMI Crisis Resources guide.
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
MEET OUR PARTNER
Today’s story comes from our partner, Rough Draft Atlanta. Rough Draft publishes Reporter Newspapers, community newspapers in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs. Visit them online at RoughDraftAtlanta.com or on Instagram @RoughDraftATL.
If you have any feedback or questions about our partnerships, you can contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams via email at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
About the Author
