A Conversation with Trees

Recent Artwork by Daniel Blignaut

The Studio@620 presents “A Conversation with Trees”, an exhibit of original artwork by Daniel Blignaut. January 19-February 2, 2013

“In my latest work, I return to the subject of trees, which has fascinated me since childhood. Instead of a representational depiction, I employ something similar to an Iconographic template to portray their presence, complexity, and majesty. In “A Conversation with Trees,” I explore the visual nature of my subject matter by expressing it in a variety of textures. The chess board pattern which has always been a dominant symbol in my art now inhabits a new role as part of the broader language of pattern and texture.”—
Daniel Blignaut

Opening reception Saturday January 19th from 6-9 PM
Artwork remains on display through February 2, 2013
Admission is free and open to the public.
Gallery Hours Tuesday - Saturday 12:00 - 4:00 PM

Artists Statement

Art over the centuries has been engaged in exploring and producing beauty, and more recently has had a vexed relationship with that concept. My work unabashedly aims to achieve aesthetic beauty by evoking a primal fascination with the allure of gold and the aesthetic pleasure of color, pattern and texture -- as evident throughout human visual history. My process involves making bold aesthetic statements only to soften them with a multitude of layers, which adds to the eventual complexity of the surface. This has the effect of indicating a passage of time on the canvas itself.

In my latest work, I return to the subject of trees, which has fascinated me since childhood and occurred in my work since the early eighties. Instead of a representational depiction, I employ something similar to an Iconographic template to portray their presence, complexity, and majesty. I use trees as a metaphor for the human condition -- for instance, the visual measure of the passage of time, the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth, and the diversity of personalities. My work is interested in the physicality of trees, and in the way that time, environment and climate impacts the body to produce an enormous visual variety.

In “A Conversation with Trees,” the vibrant colors that have been a hallmark of my work are slightly de-saturated and toned down. I explore the visual nature of my subject matter by expressing it in a variety of textures. The chess board pattern which has always been a dominant symbol in my art now inhabits a new role as part of the broader language of pattern and texture.

I see my current work as a culmination of early artistic influences and the maturation of my distinctive personal style. Through an increased intricacy and variety of elements, I continue to push the boundaries of long-standing themes in my work.