DAVID DEREK BARON

“I love the challenge of physically translating a thought or feeling onto a canvas.”

Born in Kankakee, IL. In 1967, Baron left his hometown at the age of seventeen and heading to California with about $100 in his pocket. He worked a variety of jobs until he could get into art school. He received his training at the Art Center, Pasadena, CA in 1997 and Laguna College of Art and Design in 1998 and has been a practicing artist since. His work has been featured in both group and solo exhibitions since 1997. The artist now lives near Dallas, TX with his wife, Tania.

Baron’s paintings incorporate elements of surrealism, mark-making, text, collage, pop imagery, all drawn from his own thoughts, experiences. “My main body of work explores childhood memories of everyday objects. My work has childlike simplicity with layers of complexities. Many images, writings and memories and buried in layers of paint. Some of these show through while others are covered up forever.”

His palette, while relatively simple, is rich in layered depth and saturation, while seemingly innocuous collaged or drawn objects- particularly coffee cups - float in a field of largely negative space. “I aim to create a balance between color and form, usually with only three elements. I start out making random marks and scribbles on the canvas just to “activate” it. By pushing and pulling paint and imagery, I’ll often attach a memory to it somewhere in the process.” Regardless of the work’s perhaps more serious intent, there’s often an innocence or child-like sense of play in most of Baron’s paintings. This sense of play underscores the personality of an artist who, while not taking himself too seriously, nonetheless maintains a strong work ethic, creative momentum, and commitment to his practice and career. “If I have an idea, I explore it. I get it out of my head so I can move on.”

@derekdavidbaron