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JUNE 7, 2013
Painter’s worldview shaped by ‘industrial wasteland’ in which he grew up
Brandy Soto Editorial Intern
Painter and part-time art teacher Daniel du Plessis began his art career in editing and design, but eventually found himself in fine arts. He was born in South Africa in 1953 and grew up in what he calls an “industrial wasteland,” which shaped his perspective of the world. “[It was] created by the extraction and dumping nature of gold-mining, strangely interspersed by areas of pristine grassland,” he explains. “The harshness of the country’s political and social history, coupled with its celebrated natural beauty, had a big influence on my aesthetics and worldview.” Du Plessis says he began drawing and painting from an early age. He took art courses in high school and continued his studies in college, where he majored in painting and drawing. He received an MA in fine arts from University of South Africa and an MFA from Cal State Fullerton. Although he has been creating art all of his life, he says it didn't become a professional career until he completed his master’s degree. Since then he has taught painting, life drawing and two-dimensional design at several community colleges and universities in Southern California. When he is not teaching students, Du Plessis is creating art of his own. His paintings are vivid scenes that are deeply reminiscent of romance, the universe, and the aspect of time. “Nature, garden, landscape and cosmic imagery unite to create imaginative, psychological environments with strong emotional undercurrents,” he says. In 2011, he was the featured painter at the Orange County Fair and has exhibited throughout the United States, Turkey, Canada and South Africa. He recently featured some of his work at the Mid-City Studio Tour in Long Beach. “I showed work from my most recent series, which shows cosmic imagery inspired by the Hubble Telescope,” he says.
In painting, what is the biggest challenge you have faced? Every new work has its own challenges, and it is part of the creative process to resolve the compositional and formal problems.
Do you think about placement before you begin a project, or do you freestyle in the moment? I start off with a rough composition but allow myself the freedom to
DADS & GRADS
explore new ideas as I go along.
Is there a special technique or theme that has become a staple of your art? I often use a technique called glazing, which involves the use of many layers of transparent paint to create a sense of luminosity. Sometimes, I also use transparent layers of resin as a final coating to enhance the visual depth of works.
“Cosmic Bubbles 2;” watercolor, charcoal and pastel on canvas
Is there a process in choosing the materials you will use for your paintings? I normally use panels for acrylic and mixed-media works, and sometimes I glue a sheet of aluminum to the wood panel. Some of my works are done on transparent acrylic boxes, which allow me to work underneath and on top of the surface. Do you feel that selling your work affects the creative process? No, because I do not make works with the single purpose of selling it. For me, making the work and selling it are two separate things.
How has your artwork developed over the years? As a young child, I saw a Dutch, 17th Century still-life painting at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. I was awestruck by the way the artist could depict dust on the bottles and other objects. That kind of acute observation and attention to detail form part of my current see ARTIST page 10
Courtesy the artist
Artist Daniel du Plessis was born in South Africa and grew up among “the extraction and dumping nature of goldmining, strangely interspersed by areas of pristine grassland.”
“Scorpion Fish Nebula;” acrylic, mixed media and resin on aluminum on wood panels
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