Art of David Land

I have been an artist for over 30 years working with oils, gouache, photography, and mixed-media. I studied at Silvermine College of Art and Connecticut College.

When the combination of digital photography and digital manipulation software arrived, I found the opportunities fantastic and unlimited. While I still create images using traditional techniques, I also use whatever materials are necessary to complete my vision for the image.

When I switched from film to digital, the digital darkroom opened up whole new vistas for expressing my visual ideas. My two main areas of focus, currently, are the reinvention of the still life and the reimaging of the portrait.

My training as a painter is solidly reflected in my work as a digital artist. As a painter I built my canvases using layers upon layers to create the depth and complexity of the composition and the colors. Each work required understanding about how each layer would interact with the paint beneath it. I use the same technique in my digital art. I build the image using layers of images, colors, and textures to create my vision.

I use scale to see objects and people in juxtaposition with each other for the contrast and interplay that works as refreshing new images. By changing the texture of an image or an object, we change the way we understand that object or person. Adding atmosphere to the image anchors it in a new space that never existed until that new image.

I use the interaction between hard edge structure with soft fluid content to create tension and adhesion of the disparate elements of the composition. I use many different media for my art. Whatever works, I use. I constantly look for a fresh approach, a new angle, or a new combination of styles to give my art a fresh and contemporary look while retaining a solid grounding in classic techniques.

Influences -  I have, of course, many artists that I owe a debt of gratitude to for their special way of recreating the world around them. Principal among them are Klimt, Magritte, and Dali. There are many others. I believe that art is built on the foundations of those who have come before, and I thank them. 

David