David Zimmerman

David Zimmerman Biography

2003 3DYC (youth conference) Featured artists Visual Performance Art

May 2007 Group Exposition

Nov 2008 Redwood art Sale

Feb 2009 Winner Swerve, Home by Avi, Calgary’s Next top Artist Exclusive artist for the Calgary Stampede Dream Home (July 2009)

David Zimmerman Description

About the Art
"My art is a collision of inspiration and participation. It begins with a glimpse, a chance detail, a striking image pulled from every day life. I fixate on detail and texture, and often find that ordinary moments produce surprising inspirations. My aim is not a mere reproduction, but a process that reflects and interacts with the beauty that sparked my interest, changing it in surprising ways, allowing for unplanned contours and expressions, altering the way we all see the world I paint.

Juxtaposition is important to my work. Context and fragment, rock and bark, brick and moss, city and countryside: the surprising way that the world harmonizes disparate textures comes through in my work. There is a push and pull between worlds, between heavens and earth, and there is so much in-between. This resonates with the conflict and balance of emotion within my work. My paintings evoke thoughts and feelings that are in tension, often creating a discomfort in the viewer. At the same time, they have an aesthetic harmony, a unified beauty that draws all the elements together. Light and dark pallets break into each other, crash over each other, and remain distinct as they come together.

My creative process makes meaning. Initially my process was a quest to break from my roots in pen and ink, a medium with too much precision and control, and to allow the art to emerge organically from the techniques and materials themselves. I wanted to interact with the medium, not control it. I have found a way to explore and discover as I create, to be surprised by the work, even as I craft it. I use thick, heavy, glossy materials that form their own ridges and textures, reflecting surprising hues and shapes I hadn’t intended. I often set my brushes aside and use my hands and fingers to feel and effect change in the paintings. This interactivity is shared with the viewer. The deep textures of my art invite the viewer to touch. My works are fluid as they are viewed from different angles and lighting, with the glossy reflections incorporating the distinctives of viewer and surroundings into each viewing of my work. They blur the boundary between painting and participant, inviting the context into the experience at every level.

Materials
I utilize a variety of materials and mediums applied on hardboard in a wood frame, similar to the kind used for canvas. I often start with Gel mediums and a mixture of commercial grade products. This accomplishes durability and quality texturing. I prefer oil paints to acrylics because I enjoy the ways they mix and blend, and the richness of colour they provide. The final gloss medium provides a liquid finish and enhances the layers."

Hardboard, Canvas, gel mediums, foils, silver leaf, occasional fabrics, oil paints (preferred), acrylic, sign ink, gloss medium.