Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Bilmes.
Daniel, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I started studying art with my father, Semyon Bilmes, at the age of 8. He had a small illustration school at the time in Southern Oregon. My Father comes from a strong academic background. He was educated in the Soviet Art academies, before immigrating to the US. He met my mother Alla Bilmes, while they were both attending Parsons in NYC.
When I was 12, my family opened a more traditional art academy in Oregon, where I spent most of my teen years.
Being immersed in art and art education from such an early age definitely laid the foundation for my artistic career.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Painting Ideas are always floating around in my head… For me, getting to a place where I can clearly judge my own Ideas, to decide which concepts get painted, and in what order, that’s the challenge.
I spent a lot of time over the last few years looking through endless imagery… Photography, film, fashion, architecture, and of course, painting and sculpture, mapping my own reactions.
What makes me feel something when I look at an Image? I try to deconstruct my own taste and feelings and build paintings with the pieces.
After an Idea floats around in my head for a bit, I usually do a number of thumbnail sketches. I try to explore different versions of the same concept, though I often return to the first.
Once I’m clear on the composition, it’s time to sling some paint!
I think of the beginning of a painting, as almost a dance. It’s where I set the bones of a piece. The rest is building on that initial foundation.
I try to infuse the start of every paining with as much movement and energy as possible. I begin with the longest brush strokes and work my way down.
I like to move the paint around a lot in the beginning, and then I scratch into it as it dries. This leads to many late work night. To quote myself, “Can’t move paint when it’s dry.”
I didn’t really intentionally develop a style–I guess this is just my interpretation of reality. My technique evolved from my academic drawing and life studies, which were classically based. I’ve always found myself interested in the process of how something is constructed–for example, I’ll get lost in how a figure or a hand or a fabric is woven together–the visual rhythm of textures fascinates me.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think for an artist one of the most important things, is knowing one’s own preferences.
There’s so much going on in the world, and so many options and directions, I think curation and taste are more valuable than ever — Artist’s need to take the evolution of esthetics more seriously.
This is the first generation of artists that have access to limitless visual inspiration–we’re not just looking at archives of the past–we can see what’s happening in the art world in real-time, all around the globe.
I think cities like LA and art institutions like museums and foundations can help immensely, by creating a venue for artists to interact with the public.
Between all the work in the studio, and focus on gallery sales, it’s often hard for artists to interact with a broader audience. And communicating with people is one of the main purposes of art.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I exhibit in LA at Arcadia Gallery in Pasadena.
I also occasionally release limited edition prints from my website, danielbilmes.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.danielbilmes.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bilmesart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Daniel-Bilmes-Fine-Art-793328314094489/?tn-str=k*F
Image Credit:
Emma Lorraine
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