Dietrich Kleffel

I have all ways been interested in the rich and complex aesthetic that paints our natural world. Within my own practice, I often select subjects for their fastidious natural clothing. Assembling them one scale, feather, or winkle at a time, my intention is to meticulously give these renderings life through a tediously physical process of mark marking.

My goal to build a life on the page ultimately becomes only an illusion of life. Each attempt is an illustrated relic of a knowingly doomed endeavor. This line of reasoning informs my decision to use minimal materials and monochromatic pallets within my artworks. This technique instills a distance, which instantly highlights the illusion created by rich detailed renderings. Through this subtle duality I hope to evoke the fleeting nature of a dream, one that exhibits a complex beauty and fading connection.




BIO: Dietrich Kleffel was born on the California coast, and was raised in a small beach town in the Monterey bay. He was heavily influenced by the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains and the dramatic cliffs of the northern California coastline. The organic aesthetic of costal tides pools and the rich greenery of the forest fueled his imagination for surreal...

BFA from California Collage of the Arts 2009

Pawtucket Arts Collective Foundation show Spring 2020