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Meet the Artist - Daniel Pailes-Friedman

  • Owen Contemporary 225 Canyon Road Santa Fe, NM (map)

Daniel's artistic journey is an exploration of delicate pencil lines that dance across his canvases, effortlessly forming intricate patterns and harmonious compositions. His creations embody the perfect balance between precision and imagination, drawing the viewer into a mesmerizing world of shapes and colors.

Painting is a meditative process.  It begins with preparing a canvas and ends when there is nothing left to resolve.  A composition starts with a series of lines created by suppressing conscious control.  It is fast and spontaneous, like automatic drawing.  In just a few minutes the entire composition is laid out.  

Once that is complete, there is a transition to a deliberate work flow.  Areas of color are meticulously applied defining the composition and are added slowly and with a studied patience allowing the painting to evolve.  A few highly saturated colors are applied first and create the focal point of the painting.  Layered on top of that are areas of highly diluted colors that fall into a palette of near whites. Together they work to create depth and movement. Negative space is critical.  Implied transparencies emerge with the juxtaposition and intersection of the colored shapes.  Some paintings come quickly.  Some take months.  Each piece leads to the next. 

Daniel is a Brooklyn, NY based artist and will be at the Santa Fe gallery July 28th Friday evening to meet the artist from 5-6pm. We look forward to seeing you!