Dana Wigdor

There is an entire world in the luxe, multi-layered surface of an oil painting. Stories of daily living become embedded in the lovely chemistry of the paint skin. Some painters fawn over their materials, going on and on about the smells and sensations, how they are “in love” with paint. I confess to being such an artist. I could work on one canvas for the rest of my life and never truly be finished, adding layer after layer of thick texture, and then sanding it down into a hazy blur. With each layer that is added, paradoxically, life is uncovered. Characters appear, complex relationships play out before me, and I feel an ardent devotion to their well-being. Each encounter feels extraordinary and unique.

My work combines two methods of paint handling: complex layers of abstraction with selected areas of realistic rendering. These focal areas of realism are essential to my storytelling and character development.


Planet Series
These planet paintings are a self portrait in the form of a journey through space. Each painting is a different part of this journey; a lift off, loss, the hopeful horizon, the first view of a new home. Paint is a perfect medium for capturing the invisible forces that surround us – where color and light bui...

MFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 2008
School of Visual Arts, Painting in New York Summer Studio Residency, 1998
BFA, San Francisco Art Institute, 1990