Artist statement
I am a mechanical engineer by trade, turned fulltime artist in 2018. Even though I’ve started my art career late in life, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I want to try every medium, without limitations. I’m a self-taught artist; therefore my work is a bit unconventional.
My art is about spontaneity, ideas, movement but at the same time about balance and love of colour. It is also about humor and life values. The duality in nature and human mind fascinates me. Through my art, I’ve come to understand that what’s right and what’s wrong - it’s a matter of perspective. Textures and shapes, inspire me. A plastic lid from a take-out container, an old remote control or a handful of screws and nuts, spark my interest and all I see is the beauty in all the objects coming together and give birth to an idea or a story.
I’m always looking for out-of-the-box ideas and processes. Being an ‘engineer turned artist’, science, technology and art will always intertwine.
Every piece I create is based on an idea or a life experience and for the past years I've been dedicated to my new career as a visual artist: learning new skills, improving my artwork and establishing my presence in the art world. I have been humbled to realize that my work makes an impression on people. The fact that individuals are willing to buy my pieces and display them in their homes sincerely takes my breath away.
It takes an audience to ‘raise’ an artist so I’m inviting you to follow and support me in my journey!
Biography
Dana is an engineer by trade, turned visual artist. She studied at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in her hometown where she received her engineering degree in 1993. As a young child and teenager, she loved to draw, paint, create collages or be involved in any kind of creative activity. Despite her aptitude for mechanical engineering, Dana’s real passion rested in the arts. Her dream was to one day be brave enough and become an artist.
Born and raised in Romania, Dana immigrated to Canada in 1996. She has carved a successful career for herself as a design engineer focused on architectural lighting fixtures. Her innate creativity had finally found a channel and for over 18 years Dana designed lighting fixtures with the very same passion that supported her drawings and paintings. Her career progressed from Junior Engineer to the managerial role of Chief Engineer. Like most individuals keen on adding an artistic element to their work, she began to contemplate whether this path aligned with her true passion.
In 2012, she shared her passion for painting and drawing with one of the engineers from her team. The colleague told her that his wife is a fellow painter and art teacher. In her words, “It felt like a sign”. For the next two years, Dana would attend Annika Zalmover’s painting classes every Monday. The classes were not only therapeutic, but Annika encouraged her to try different mediums including oil, pencils and watercolour. This would be the start of a very special journey.
Painting has always been her passion but in 2017 she discovered steampunk art. Dana fell in love with the process and for the last years, she has been working to find her own style.
It was in 2018 when Dana decided to make a momentous choice and become a fulltime artist.
Dana uses painting, drawing and building 3D stories with objects, as tools to express her values and feelings.
Her art is fueled by spontaneity; any object can become a canvas.
Combining her love for technology and nature has allowed Dana to discover that abstract work brings about an air of freedom that she’s always enjoyed. Therefore her work is mostly abstract even though sometimes she does traditional landscapes or portraits for her family and friends.
She is incredibly passionate about recycling and upcycling; her 3D installations on canvas are built with repurposed objects spanning from computer components, recycled plastic to old jewelry. The more unconventional the object, the more she enjoys the challenge and the process. Her pieces are like complex and inviting games of ‘I spy with my little eye’.
Her arrangements have allowed the motherboard to become the central tenant of her canvas (‘Open to possibilities’), whereas other pieces (‘The old violin’) have allowed musicians to interact with her art – literally.
Dana hopes that her audience is left with the same spark of curiosity that originally fueled her creative process.
Like in her training as a mechanical engineer she is determined to improve her skills as a visual artist and take the right steps towards creating a successful artist career.
Events and exhibitions
2019-2020, she’s been a member of Art Next Level Academy. From the academy founders, Dr. Yanina and Sergio Gomez (Chicago artist and curator), Dana learned what it means to be part of the art world, and how to show and market art.
March, 2021-multiple small works were part of monthly art show at Preston Gallery, Uxbridge, Ontario
May, 2021- the piece ‘Remembering myself’ was part of the art show ‘Romantica- The Shape of my Art” at M.A.D.S Milan, Italy
July, 2021- ‘Open to possibilities’ was accepted and was part of the 2021 Annual Juried Show, Scugog Artplace , Port Perry; curator Margaret Rodgers
August, 2021 –‘Spiraling until we find the way’ was published in Art Universal, the great Encyclopedia of International Art, curators Francesco Saverio &Salvatore Russo
November, 2021 ‘Dreaming of Nothing’ was part of the art show ‘Segnalati’, Pinter Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
Also, the piece “Come see the world through my eyeglasses’ is showing in the ‘Segnalati’ catalogue.
December, 2021- she received a Certificate of Artistic Merit from Luxembourg Art Prize. She participated with the piece ‘Little tricky thing called brain’.
December, 2022- she received a Certificate of Artistic Merit from Luxembourg Art Prize. She participated with the piece ‘Connected and divided like never before’.
May 4th&5th, 2024 participated in Lake Scugog Studio Tour
May 6th-26th, 2024 exhibited at Scugog Arts Gallery
September 11th, 2024 speaker at Oshawa Art Association
Memberships
2021, became a member of Scugog Arts.
2022, became a member of Station Gallery.