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About The Artist: Delna Dastur Artist's Statement: Over the years as I developed as an artist, I came to the realization that the methods and materials involved in painting are as important to me as the subject matter. Applying paint, charcoal, inks or whatever be the material of my choice, freely and unsparingly has always thrilled me. Although my subject matter is universal — landscapes, figures, abstractions, I do feel that the colors I use are a reflection of my upbringing in India. Unconsciously I am drawn to the brilliance of the colors I was surrounded by during my childhood in India. Educated on both continents, undergraduate degree from the University of Bombay and a masters in Ol painting from the American University, Washington D.C., 1 follow the art scene in both countries and feel compatible in both. My first love is to draw. For several years after I received my graduate degree in oil painting, I embraced charcoal as my primary medium and explored it to its fullest. I continue with it to this day, sharing what I have learned with my students in a class entitled, “Creative Approaches.” Taking a clean sheet of creamy paper and splattering it sparingly with diluted colored ink, using ear syringes, soft, wide brushes, even my fingers, is how the drawing usually starts. Then the charcoal powder and sticks take over. With just the fragment of an idea in mind my hand will start the drawing. Sometimes it will race over the surface making delicate calligraphic marks, sometimes it opts for strong graphic strokes. Out comes the eraser, adding its own dimension. One response leads to another until I feel the drawing has reached its potential. Gradually I introduced color in the form of ink and pastel, discovering the complexities this combination offered. Occasionally the initial charcoal drawing disappeared totally under the ink and pastel, resulting in a different mood altogether. 1 experimented with layering and erasing to create transparencies, teaching myself new ways to handle familiar materials. Always wanting to experiment, I decided to work with wooden panels onto which I collaged paper, meshed fabric, and pastel crumbles. This time the transparencies I sought were created by glazing with acrylics over the charcoal drawing. I found this complicated treatment suited the whimsical and dense quality of the jumbled up vegetables which were my subject matter. I realize now, that I have come full circle and after many years have returned to painting on canvases as I did when I was a graduate student. I continue, however to experiment with the wooden panels and the charcoal drawings. This time, around, though, I have years of experience and the drive to be imaginative, continually striving for new boundaries. I endeavor to transport the viewer beyond the obvious lure of color and subject matter, to free him from a temporary attraction, to ponder my motives and, hopefully, to feel my spirit. Artist's Bio: |
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