Daniel Bilmes, Hoola Hoop Girl, oil, 36 x 48.
California
Art Education: My father, Semyon Bilmes, is an artist and teacher trained in the Soviet Union. I started studying in his art academy in Oregon when I was 8 years old. I basically grew up in an art school. In 2010, we relocated the school to Maui, HI, and renamed it Atelier Maui, where my father is still living and teaching today.
Style: I love to experiment and play around with different techniques, searching for the right combination of colors and edges, the level of finish, whether it’s raw or highly rendered. I believe in adapting one’s style to best represent the feeling, character, meaning, and composition in one’s painting.
Creative Spark: Anything visual: an arrangement of shapes, colors, textures, lighting.
Second-Choice Career: La Cosa Nostra [the Mafia].
Other Passions: Building things. I love to create tangible objects that combine engineering and design. Also, rock climbing, fencing, history, travel (like a gypsy), debate, whiskey, nature, and good food.
Favorite Studio Music: Everything from Leonard Cohen to James Blake to Beethoven.
Favorite Work by Another Artist: Ilya Repin’s BARGE HAULERS ON THE VOLGA.
Future Goals: I want to get more and more ambitious with my work and, I hope, help bridge the gaps between all the isms and factions in the art world.
Price Range: $500 to $10,000.
Featured in the September 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
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- Daniel Bilmes, Held, oil/gold leaf, 30 x 46.
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- Daniel Bilmes, Hoola Hoop Girl, oil, 36 x 48.
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- Daniel Bilmes, Isa, oil, 18 x 24.
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- Daniel Bilmes, Maddie, oil, 18 x 14.
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- Daniel Bilmes, Marie, oil, 18 x 14.
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- Daniel Bilmes, Sara, oil, 18 x 24.
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- Daniel Bilmes, The Art Student, oil, 36 x 46.