A friend inspired me to pick up a paint brush again in 2010 after a lengthy hiatus that began when I left my home country of Germany and began a new life in England. With the daily struggle of life compounded by mastering another language there was no time to continue my childhood passions of writing and drawing. I met a man, we married and had two sons and life dragged me along in its giddy path.
The creative streak came back stronger than ever after that friendly push in 2010 and the brush or pencil or pastel felt so natural in my grip. I became interested in art again and searched for reference points to the styles I was developing with the constant creative flow. I was always drawn to colourful works of art with as little detail as possible and my own style was reflecting these tastes. The impressionists remain a strong reference for my artistic meanderings.
Wanting to take my renewed passion further I enrolled in a Drawing and Painting course at London Art College. The course inspired a new direction for me as I was smitten by figure drawing and portrait work. The opportunities to work in different medium was another new experience and my range has progressed to include watercolour, ink, charcoal and coloured pencil.
My favourite creations tend to hide the full image with only a glance but further viewing reveals the interplay of shadow and light that allows shape and definition to form despite the less defined lines presented. Less is more is the constant aspiration.
I tend to be influenced by artistic styles rather than content or subject. Watercolour artists like Jean Haines and Ann Blockley have a creativeness with the medium and the experimentation they apply leads me to try new things in my own works.
My recent creative journeys have seen me focusing on drawing, especially with charcoal on toned papers as I seek to extend my skills and understanding of my own creativity.
I still feel new to this world of artists but my early progress has been boosted by success such as reaching finalist stage in the beginners section of the SAA Artist of the Year 2011 and again in Britain’s Got Artists 2012.
As a child I was entrepreneurial enough to sell my drawings to my kind hearted parents for a nominal fee so I guess I have always been a professional artist. It has taken a life time of living for me to feel immersed enough in my drawing to call myself an artist.
You can also find me on www.danamallon.co.uk or on facebook www.facebook.com/DanamallonArt.
Dana Mallon joined Pixels.com Licensing on May 25th, 2012.
