photo courtesy of: The Art Mag
Q: Tell us about this contest and how stoked you are to be the only artist selected as the winner out of almost 1,000 entries.
The Artavita Competition is the product of two curators out of Santa Barbara, California who are interested in promoting what they feel to be important art of our time. It is open to artists from all over the world. The winner’s work is showcased at the World Wide Art Los Angeles international art fair.
I am very excited to have won and am grateful for this opportunity.
Q: Where will your work be displayed for this and is it open to the public?
My work will be displayed at the Los Angeles Convention Center from October 16th-19th, 2014. It is open to the public.
Q: How long have you been pursuing your amazing talent as an artist, as your professional career?
I was drawing and painting as long as I can remember without giving it much thought. It became more important over time, especially during adolescence, and after meeting certain key people who had a big influence on me and helped shape my decision to go to art school and pursue it seriously.
Professionally, I began selling my work and executing portrait commissions while in school in New York, Italy, and in my hometown of Charleston, S.C., and have continued to do so ever since the early 90″s, whether directly out of my studio or through various collaborations.
Q: Where is your artwork featured?
My work will be featured at Artfields ( Lake City, S.C.) this month and in StudioVisit in May. Otherwise, It is in many private collections, a couple of museum collections, and publications ranging from the recent issue of Art Mag to New American Paintings, to Lines of Discovery: 225 Years of American Drawings
Q: Do you have a favorite piece you’ve done that you can share with us?
Yes. It’s an elongated rectangular portrait of an African American woman (pictured below) in profile titled Cargo II. The idea was percolating in my mind for a long time. I took Nina ( the name of my friend, the sitter) to the beach and began exploring the possibilities of a portrait in this exaggerated, elongated horizontal format, which should, logically, seem to work against the portrait idea. That’s something I generally like to play with in my work; set something up that seems contradictory (at least to the rational mind) and mine it for something unexpected. I don’t know how, or if it will work when I begin. That’s why this is one of my favorite recent paintings, because, for me, it achieves something strangely beautiful that is unexpected, yet grounded in experience.
Q: Where does your inspiration come from?
It comes from being present. In that state everything is inspiring! The work itself, the decision to engage totally, leads you to that state. In that state everything is experienced so much more deeply. For me a painting is a distillation of all those experiences. It’s meditation.
Q: Tell us something about you that most people don’t know….
You don’t want to know…
Q: Also can you provide us with your contact info?
d_balentine@bellsouth.net, (843) 276-8797.
