Darrell Roberts

Email: darrellkr@gmail.com
Website: http://www.darrell-roberts.com

I was born and grew up in Eldon, Iowa, in 1972, and I currently reside in Chicago, Illinois. My education and training include: Residency, Vermont Studio Center, 12/07; MFA, BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Leon Levy Exhibition, Ashkelon, Israel, archaeology dig; BA, Art History, The University of Northern Iowa.

Interview

Darrell Roberts has been an ArtStyle Blog Contributing Blogger since 2007. His interview was published in April, 2007.

Grants / Awards

My grants / awards include: The Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation grant for the development of my artistic career, 12/2007; Dedalus Foundation full fellowship for a 4-week residency at the Vermont Studio Center, 12/2007; The George Sugarman Foundation grant for the purchase of paint and the enrichment of my artistic career, 11/2007; and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation grant, 3/2007.

Gallery / Exhibitions

I am represented by Thomas McCormick Gallery in Chicago. My exhibitions and registries include: Solo Exhibition, Luscious, Hyde Park Art Center, 2007; Flat Files & Slide Registries, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, 2007-present; Group Exhibition, mn gallery, Chicago; Group Exhibition, L2 Kontemporary, LA.

Recent / Upcoming Exhibitions:
Art Chicago 2008 with Thomas McCormick Gallery, Merchandise Mart, April 25 - 28, 2008
Chicago Expression: The 5 Artists’ Project, Ossia Fine Arts Space, Chicago, August, 2008
Not Just Another Pretty Face, The Hyde Park Art Center, October 18, 2008 - January 17, 2009.

Artist's Statement

For me everything is about art all the time. In the 1950s, art critic Harold Rosenberg coined the term “action painting.” It's a phrase that I keep coming back to. My practice is as much about the act as the action. The finished painting is a physical manifestation, or residue, of the action. Rosenberg's definition of art as an act rather than an object, as a process rather than a product, defines my studio practice well -- applying paint, scrapping it away, layering, and accumulation. Although my paintings are seemingly abstract, they are rooted in my everyday experience.

The ever-changing landscape and structures of the metropolis inspire my work. Over the years I have documented Chicago: the lake, the gardens, the skyline, its people and construction sites. All these elements and textures influence my work. My interest is in sensory overload and stimulation. I am bombarded with visual stimuli in Chicago, and love it; I believe more is much better. The pace of people, traffic and hectic life makes it easier for me to notice the subtle changes of textures, colors, forms and light as I move through the city. These changes quickly catch my eye and give me a moment to rest. Many times I spend much of the course of a year, documenting construction sites and am interested in what was and will be.

In my workspace, I cover the walls and floor with the images I document, colored papers I have collected with different patterns and textures, and bright toys. There is so much influence in my space, the eye can hardly rest; it is intense energy and colorful happiness. I work on a series at a time, as many as fifteen paintings, sometimes laying down the background, other times scrapping away and covering it up. Each time I add more texture through the thick layers of paint. Over the course of months, my abstract paintings are razed and built up. My canvases are opaque and full of color, texture and visual stimulation. Steeped in the tradition of oil painting, my paintings are best seen in multiples to get a sense of the sensory overload and rapid eye movement on a subject with the subtle changes. My paintings stimulate the viewer's senses by providing a sensory overload. My life is art, and my art is molded around life.

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