BARBARA DIEROLF

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  STATEMENT

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As an artist I work in color, texture and emotion. While I come from a family of artists, my own artistic experience began later in life as a pathway from grief to healing. The creation of my art has become a journey of hope and rejuvenation. My purpose is to explore art forms to bring viewers along on this journey of personal discovery.

 

I love to create mandala images with colorful dyes, ice, skill, and patience - it takes 18 to 24 hours before a completed design is revealed. I blend ancient Japanese folding methods with classic American tie dye techniques to achieve multi-faceted mandalas bursting with color, contrast, and images that capture the viewer’s imagination. The circular form of the mandala challenges me to push the boundaries of the carefully ordered and perfectly symmetrical hand drawn mandala into a more abstract, yet still very symmetrical, figure.

 

The marbling designs I do on fabric are similar to my mandala designs in that both art forms begin with a blank piece of fabric. The marbling designs originate from ancient marbling patterns used centuries ago by book makers and scribes on parchment documents. Starting with basic patterns, I vary the designs using acrylic paint to create patterns on the surface of fabrics and paper. I developed a technique for creating multi-layered designs with the use of stencils and ‘painting on water’.

 

As a portrait artist, I work primarily in pencil to focus on emotion and expression. My favorite subject is ordinary people experiencing a moment that shares the more positive side of life. My portraits are about people expressing the emotions of exuberance, pleasure, gratitude, deep determination, or cheeky youth, and encourage the viewer to feel and empathize with the subject. My intention is to instill in the viewer a feeling of well-being, strength, or empathy in making a human connection. 

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Professional Organizations

CSOPA (CT Society of Portrait Artists) SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates)

SDA (Surface Design Association)

Visions Art Museum, San Diego CA