About Duane Dorshimer

artist statement & biography

Artist Statement

photo of Duane At some point in my childhood I developed a need to examine, and to better understand what I saw and experienced. I needed to understand the meaning and my relationship with the images formed by the rods and cones as they parsed light waves in my eyes. I became aware of an extra sensitivity to things; of wanting to know more about a thing, a relationship, an experience, an emotion, or a person. For some people with this sensitivity, this unquenched need, they find solace in words, or music, or athletics. For me, the answer was self evident and without question; draw it. First with pencils and crayons, then on to paints and ink, and more recently photographs and digital imagery. If I could describe it, I could understand it, and finally share what I saw. The need, the unquenched thirst, remains ever constant. Only the materials, people, and places change.

photo of Duane

I seek to understand a thing, and my relationship to a subject, better by describing it visually on paper and canvas. This can mean pushing a brush around and around, up and down, side to side, until I feel that I get it... until I can feel that I understand all dimensions of a thing. Sometimes that desire to understand a thing focuses on a visual relationship between colors, or light and shadow. In other cases, it is a feeling brought on by the visual or sensory experience. Down through the ages, I believe that many artists have felt these things. They all had their own vision and methods of executing their creations. I appreciate the skill of the old masters, and the vibrancy and energy of the modernists. They all have their place in my world, and they all inform my work. If I could master the skill, I would find a way to put all of my heroes including; Sargent, Vermeer, Richter, and Wiley, into every work.

photo of Duane

I want you to see my work, but I also want you to hear it, smell it, and feel it; and I want you to understand the thing better. This is a goal that is hard to achieve, and I do not always hit the mark. I will keep trying through, as long as the thirst is unquenched. The results of this quest are my paintings, drawings, and photographs, and I hope that they bring some joy, and enjoyment, to those people who appreciate the quest. I would be very pleased if you would consider acquiring my artwork for your home or collection. - Duane Dorshimer

photo of Duane