Unlocking Discoveries

Abstract artist David Michael Slonim talks imagination, intuition and finding your own voice

Beyond the Palette with Scottsdale Artists' School

SCOTTSDALE ARTISTS' SCHOOL:

How did you become a painter?

DAVID MICHAEL SLONIM: It was the '90s, I was in my mid-20s, visiting The Met. I turn a corner, and I'm suddenly dumbstruck by Velázquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja-the lights dimmed on everything else but that painting. At that time, I was an illustrator, creating whimsical images for corporate clients. Being a "real" painter seemed like a dream. Looking back, I realize that experience was essential. Before becoming a painter, I first needed to be transported by the paintings of others. I will always be grateful for what Velázquez did for me.

SAS: When did abstract art become your vision?

DMS: I painted plein air for about 20 years, always trying to understand what made an image move a viewer. I began to realize that it is the abstract design or structure of the image, far more than the subject matter or technique, that counts. What moves an audience is the relationships of marks, colors, spaces, lines and textures. Over time, this freed me to gradually let go of recognizable subject matter.

SAS: What is one of the most important lessons you have learned as an artist?

DMS: Steer into the fear. Your growth, maybe even a creative breakthrough, is most likely to be hiding behind that thing you are afraid to try. For many years, I was afraid of abstraction. But in late winter, 2010, seven artist friends rented a snow coach in Yellowstone for a week of plein air painting. Even as I painted my little oil studies, that vast, volcanic snowscape forced the issue. There was no other way to convey my feelings about it, so back home I painted an abstract interpretation. From there I could see a way forward into abstract painting.