Sacramento, CA (1888PressRelease)
July 16, 2008 - Since he was the kid who got in trouble in school for drawing and not paying attention, it’s almost too ironic that Carmichael resident Dan Samborski now teaches art at American River College. With his last solo show back in 2002, he is now ready to show new work from September 6 to October 6 at Asylum Gallery inside HQ: Headquarters for the Arts, 1719 25th St., Sacramento (behind the gray fence at 25th & R Sts.). A Second Saturday reception is planned from 6 to 9 pm on September 13th. Regular gallery hours (except for 2nd Saturday) will be 1 to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays or by appointment.
Samborski is a painter who begins his process by making collages, instead of drawing. Once he makes something that he doesn’t quite understand, then he will paint it. He says he picks images like a poet chooses words.
“I’d call my work post modern painting in that it is an eclectic mix of styles,” said Samborski. “I think my work reflects many different influences such as Renaissance art which was a mix of ancient Greek and Roman influences viewed thru Christian ideology. I was inspired early on by neo-classicism, which is also an eclectic style, as well as surrealism, photorealism and abstract art which is the foundation for the composition.
He went on to say that he uses visual languages that the culture already understands, so people don’t feel alienated by the work. Within that visual language you’ll find irony, parody and sly jokes in his paintings. Samborski says he think that humor can help people can understand ideas better.
Samborski says one of the unifying elements in about half of the new paintings are based on Mondrian paintings. He went on to say that he’s been interested in truth his whole life. Art, philosophy, religion and science are all doing the same thing in his mind, trying to answer the “Big” questions: Who am I? Where am I? What does our existence mean in a bigger scheme of things?
He has been teaching art at American River College since 1991. Prior to getting his MA in painting from CSUS, he lived in Madison, Wisconsin where he received his BS in art education. It took a stint in the commercial art world as a designer and illustrator to send him to graduate school so that he could teach.
His work has been shown in solo shows at the Barton Gallery, Peach Pit Gallery, Witt Gallery, accurate Art Gallery and Robert Dana Gallery in San Francisco. He’s exhibited in many group shows in venues like the Center for Contemporary Art, Big Art, John Natsoulas Gallery, Crocker-Kingsley show at the Crocker Art Museum, Redding Museum of Art and the Downy Museum of Art in Southern California.
For more information email info ( @ ) asylumgallery dot net or call Cherie Hacker @ 916-704-2909 or Ann Tracy @ 916-804-6095.
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