David Michael Slonim
Bio
In the formalist tradition of Joan Miró, Ellsworth Kelly, Josef Albers, and Alexander Calder, Slonim explores the tension between structure, form, color, gravity, and spontaneity. Slonim’s art is frank and emotive. His fluid application of paint allows the artist to create visual images that uncover the physical and psychological aspects of harmony and discordance in pursuing honest human expression. Through this explorative process, Slonim establishes specific rhythms and motifs in his work. His process is always free yet deliberate. The results are spontaneous and unplanned.
Slonim’s practice was first nurtured in Landscape painting, earning him his first success in the art world. He had a number of substantial gallery and museum exhibitions including those at Overland Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; the Minnetrista Cultural Center, Muncie, IN; Richmond Art Museum, Richmond, IN; C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT.
2014 was the turning point of his evolution as a painter. Having already established himself in the more traditional methods, the artist found a new direction for his work with his affinity for artists like Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso to name a few. Drawing inspiration from these Masters he reconciles color, texture, and shapes within his images. From the influence of artists like Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko, Slonim explores the underlying emotion and structure present within visual form. Channeling all these influences he creates his powerful abstractions. The possibilities for the countless variety of visual expression are innately in Slonim’s DNA.
David earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design in 1988. His work was exhibited in such museums and galleries as Richmond Museum of Art, Richmond, IN; Minnetrista Cultural Center, Muncie, IN; Masterpiece Gallery, Indianapolis, IN; Altamira Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ; Gordy Fine Art, Muncie, IN; Simpson Gallagher Gallery, Cody, WY; Arts Place, Portland, IN; Newbury Fine Arts, Boston, MA, among many others. Slonim’s paintings can be found in numerous collections such as Conrad Hotel Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN; Richmond Art Museum, Richmond, IN; Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, IN; Indiana Heritage Arts, Nashville, IN; Minnetrista Cultural Center, Muncie, IN; The West Foundation, Indianapolis, IN; Anderson University, Anderson, IN; Community Bank Shares, Denver, CO; Toledo Public Library, Toledo, OH. He has appeared in LUXE Interiors + Design, American Art Collector, Western Art & Architecture, Indianapolis Monthly, International Artist, Herald Bulletin, and SouthwestArt.
Artist Statement
In the studio there is a moment when the painting begins to “breathe,” when I feel my blood pressure drop and there’s a sudden sense of quiet. That’s typically how I know a painting is done–I can feel it.
That feeling of rightness is always a bit of a shock. Often it feels like I’m watching it happen, as if the work is painting itself.
Good paintings come out of a place of curiosity and openness. So I listen to jazz, or classical, or 70’s funk while I paint–whatever it takes on a particular day to maintain that open state of mind.
Each painting is a search for harmony and emotional resonance, growing out of multiple drawings, miniature color studies, and doodles. They drift over tabletops, stick to the walls, or scatter on the floor.
But at some point, you have to let go of “the plan” and let the painting tell you what it needs to become. Experiments in space and color eventually give rise to something more. The result is almost always a surprise.
I’ve heard artists of all types acknowledge the unexpected resolution as part of their creative process. As Robert Frost put it, No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.
When a painting moves a viewer it’s a gift, but it’s a gift the artist received first, alone in the studio. Sharing that feeling with others is the reason I paint.
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