David Dornan: A Stage for the Overlooked

David Dornan Meyer Gallery

A Stage for the Overlooked

Meyer Gallery is thrilled to present an exhibition of over twenty new works by renowned visual artist David Dornan. Dornan’s paintings appear to be still-life works, featuring everyday objects such as bottles, shelves, used paintbrushes, and overturned vases. However, what is surprising is that Dornan doesn’t paint by looking at a scene. Instead, he paints totally from theory, throwing out colors onto the canvas and reinforcing a look with the knowledge of light and color. The result is a collection of unique works that blur the lines between realism and abstraction.

Dornan’s medium of choice is oils, which he prefers because they don’t dry quickly like acrylics, allowing him to manipulate the scale and form in his paintings over a longer period. He paints largely on the theory of light and value and understands perspective, enabling him to fill a painting and rescue things when necessary. Dornan is also an “indirect painter,” building and glazing with thin layers of color on the tops of other colors. He will stretch out the creative process, exploring different elements until he is satisfied with the result.

A great painting, according to Dornan, successfully moves the eye around the work in a way that is comparable to the way Mozart concert or Vivaldi’s compositions move the brain around. His paintings move the viewer’s eyes around physically and psychologically, with light and dark values being the most important element in a piece. The psychological effect comes in after the physical, with the viewer’s eye naturally drawn to the subject of the painting.

For the upcoming Meyer Gallery show, Dornan will present 18 to 20 works, each showcasing his unique approach to painting. His work is in numerous public and private collections throughout the United States, and he has received numerous purchase awards, prizes, best of show awards, and high placement in nearly every exhibition he has entered. Dornan resigned from a 17-year university faculty position to pursue his painting career full time, and his dedication and passion for his craft is evident in each of his works.

Old Pals oil 24 x 24

Relationships oil 40 x 42

David Dornan

A Stage for the Overlooked