Dreams of Surf Print

Creating art is a vital act for me. My nonobjective, mixed-media paintings focus on implied texture. Although the surface is completely smooth, the abstract imagery reveals the beauty and nuance of patina, texture, and deterioration. I see beauty in what others overlook. I appreciate the complexity of simple things. My sensitivity allows me an uninhibited perspective on aesthetics, using color and visual texture as my primary subjects. I've studied art and design through college and formal education, but my current process and technique has been borne through consistent experimentation, trial, and error. Although I add layers of materials to create my surface, I also remove just as much by use of abrasives and by chemically “deteriorating” the paint. This series of intuitive acts of accumulation and reduction pushes the materials to their extremes, creating unique patinas. The resulting painting is an escape from the outside world, and reflects a tension between control and fluidity. Bio: Douglas Deveny is an award-winning, mixed-media artist whose paintings are in public and private collections across the United States and Netherlands. Deveny has had several solo and juried shows at venues including The New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT; The Ely Center for Contemporary Art, Kehler Liddell Gallery, and Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT; Maple and Main Gallery of Fine Art in Chester, CT; Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, CT; Guilford Art League, Guilford, CT; and Keyes Gallery in Branford, CT. Professional affilitations include New Haven Paint & Clay Club and The New Britain Museum of American Art. He attended The Art Institute of Atlanta, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Southern Connecticut State University. Despite his formal training, Deveny considers himself primarily self-taught in regard to abstract design and in the creation of his experimental painting techniques and methods. Deveny is a native of Connecticut, currently residing and maintaining a studio in Essex.