David Bottini
David Bottini ‘for Gabriel’
Classic Realism with a Romantic Viewpoint
My approach to building a painting begins in direct observation and is enhanced and developed in the studio using a traditional glazing approach. My artwork draws from my training in classical realism as well as my passion for a post-modern abstract sensibility in my composing a viewpoint.
My creative process starts on-site from direct observation that immediately employs both sharp optical perception and imaginative concept. I wander through a woods or along a stream or canal seeking the balanced interplay of light and shadow that pulls me into a composition. I work directly with brush and paint as the only medium that touches the panel. I work from small color studies first
on paper prior to working through a painting (or iterations of the composition).
Over days, weeks, or occasionally months, I build numerous glazes (layers) of paint to describe the environmental effect and pictorial illusion I seek. The multiple glazed layers give the work a characteristic depth and luminosity.
I strive to make a viewer aware of a fleeting moment of solitude in nature where nature’s quiet and environmental elements create a lasting impression of a specific & personal place and time… the romanced image of a cherished memory.
I sign my paintings "Gabriel" in dedication to the lasting effect my Italian grandfather on my love of nature and forests.
