I was born in January, 1963, in
Drumheller, Alberta Canada, where my father was serving his vicarage with
the Lutheran Church. Early on, I showed a huge interest in art, and
a debatable degree of discipline. I fed that interest in
drawing and painting throughout elementary school, junior high and
high school, but simple economics meant that, for me, graduation was
followed by gainful employment rather than college.
Throughout my
twenties, I continued to make art, primarily extremely tight and detailed
pen and ink drawings. I was fortunate to have access to
life drawing classes, and to Golden Gate Park for botanical
studies.
As I worked my way into more grown-up employment,
there was less and less left of me at the end of the day for
making art. By the time I became a database programmer, studying and
making art had been relegated to 'someday when I retire'.
In 2003,
health issues exacerbated by the stress and demands of being a
workaholic programmer forced me to change directions - 'someday when
I retire' became 'why not now?' Since that decision,
I've been studying the work of my favorite artists, and making the best
use of this course correction. The drawings and paintings on this site are
the results.
Currently, I'm living in Southern California, in the
rapidly growing city of Desert Hot Springs, with my beloved partner, two
cats (Berberé and Molé) and a Mollucan Cockatoo named
Leila.
Lastly, it is only right that I share with everyone my deep
appreciation for my partner's parents, Wiley and Lora, whose constant and
unconditional encouragement and support have made all the
difference.
I am particularly inspired and moved by a
statement by Michael Pollan in his book "The Botany of Desire" - he states
"Great art is born when Apollonian form and Dionysian ecstasy are held in
balance".
My work focuses on the interplay of deliberate form with
ecstatic accident. Deliberate form includes not only
consciously constructed man-made features, but topographies of landscape
and even human features which arise out of definable physical laws, while
ecstatic accidents can themselves be pure randomness or the imposition of
one natural phenomena on another more ordered one.
I use techniques that focus on specific aspects of that interaction - grisaille in acrylic to explore the power of Apollonian form, the sand abstractions that fix random and ecstatic, unpredictableness at the foundation of the image, and pastels to specifically focus on the power of dissolving lines. Recently, I've begun painting plein air on occasion, and have especially enjoyed plein air de nuit - outside at night.
The combination of these factors have melded well with the subject matter closest to my heart these days - endangered species and wildlife in general. Volunteering at the Living Desert provides not only a constant supply of inspiration and appreciation for these creatures, but incredible opportunities for study, sketching and photography. With no shortage of furred and feathered models, it is merely of matter of waiting for and recogning that beautiful definitive moment.
For several years, I've been leading plein air paint outs and teaching classes for the Living Desert. I've prepared PowerPoint presentations for some of the classes.
For the 08-09 season, I'm teaching two Stepping Stones classes, and a workshop on painting wildlife:
"Stepping Stones: Eloquent Color November 22, 2008
"Stepping Stones: Finding your Balance February 7th, 2009
" Wild Life Drawing: How to Paint Animals March 21, 2009 - No PowerPoint planned at this time
If you live in or are visiting the Coachella valley, California, and would like to take on of these classes - you can sign up for them here: Living Desert University
My Art Blog:
http://theartofdarrsandberg.blogspot.com/
