United States
Darrell Roberts Artist Statement
For me everything is about art all the time. In the 1950’s, art critic Harold Rosenberg coined the term action painting. It’s a phrase that I keep coming back to. My practice is as much about the act as the action. The finished painting is a physical manifestation, or residue, of the action. Rosenberg's definition of art as an act rather than an object, as a process rather than a product defines my studio practice well. Applying paint, scrapping it away, layering, and accumulation. Although my paintings are seemingly abstract they are rooted in my everyday experience.
The ever-changing landscape and structures of the metropolis inspire my work. Over the years I have documented Chicago; the lake, the gardens, the skyline, its people and construction sites. All these elements and textures influence my work. My interest is in sensory overload and stimulation. I grew up in a small rural farm in Iowa. I remember going for long walks through the fields and woods, contemplating what is out there. Today I live and make art in Chicago. I still go for long walks, through an ever-changing environment, which influences my art making. I contemplate the same questions I did in my childhood, and wonder why and how a lot. I believe some of us, artists, are born with a creative energy and soul to make art. I am bombarded with visual stimuli in Chicago, and love it; I believe more is much better. The pace of people, traffic and hectic life make it easier for me to notice the subtle changes of textures, colors, forms and light as I move through the city. These changes quickly catch my eye and give me a moment to rest. Many times I spend much of the course of a year, documenting construction sites and am interested in what was and will be.
My painting process is not dissimilar to the continual push and pull on the growing metropolis; as crews raze a structure so others are building new projects. In the way a mark is applied, a color is laid down and then scrapped up and moved away, only to let another layer build-up the painting.
Color for me is movement; movement through the city is color. A big influence on my practice is Hans Hoffmann whose push-pull theory owed much to his surroundings. The tension of space, form, line and color all ring true in my process of painting.
The elements of nature give many structures in Chicago a nice patina. Flakes of paint chip off buildings, leaving behind a history of paint strata on the structure. Rust becomes more dominant on boxcars as they haul commodities from Chicago to the west and back. The city gardens are full of intense colors and textures in the summer. My paintings have much to do with these observations and a keen sense of sight.
In my workspace, I cover the walls with the images I document, colored papers I have collected with different patterns and textures to bright toys filling my studio. There is so much influence in my space the eye can hardly rest; it is intense energy and colorful happiness. I work on a series at a time, as many as fifteen paintings. Sometimes laying down the background, other times scrapping away and covering it up. Each time adding more texture through the thick layers of paint. Over the course of months, my abstract paintings are razed and built-up. My canvases are opaque and full of color, texture and visual stimulation. Steeped in the tradition of oil painting, my paintings are best seen in multiples to get a sense of the sensory overload and rapid eye movement on a subject with the subtle changes. My paintings stimulate the viewer's senses, which can give off a sensory overload. My life is art and molded around life.
Bio
Education
2003 MFA: The School of The Art Institute of Chicago
2000 BFA: The School of The Art Institute of Chicago
1997 BA: Art History, The University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
1996 summer, Leon Levy Expedition, Ashkelon, Israel
Group Exhibitions
2014
INDIANA GREEN 5th Year Anniversary 2014 at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. (Color catalog with show.) Indiana Green is a regional group exhibition featuring 2D and 3D works by artists living and working in Wisconsin and Illinois.Co-curated by Frank Juarez + Melissa Dorn Richards, Cedarburg, WI.
Evanston Art Center Spring Gala 2014,Proceeds from the auction benefit the Evanston Art Center’s exhibition, scholarship and community outreach program. Evanston, IL.
Morrill Hit the Bricks Silent Auction for Our Playground. Morrill is a Chicago Public School located in the Chicago Lawn Neighborhood. The teaching and learning that occurs at Morrill is centered around inquiry-based instruction that embeds digital media arts, social justice, and technology into the curriculum. Students need a playground at their school. Currently, students have to go more than a half-mile to find a green space to play. Students and parents are discouraged from travelling the half-mile because of the high crime rate of our neighborhood. Chicago, IL
“Absolut Wrapture, The Fine Art of Cocktails In The Sky” Chicago House winter auction and cocktail event for men, women and children who are disenfranchised by HIV/AIDS, poverty, homelessness, and gender non-conformity, 99th Floor Sky Deck, Willis Tower, Chicago.
2013
International Artist Residency Exhibition, Crack International Artist Program, Kushtia, Bangladesh.
Stairway Studios, Contemporary art and design from resident and guest artists, Collaborative work with Jonathan Cernak, Chicago.
5th Installment of Not Just Another Pretty Face, To date, the Art Center has raised over $700,000—half of which goes directly into the hands of artists, with the other half going to support Art Center programs. Commissioned by Erin Houlehen, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. (Color catalog)
ASH Insights, Benefiting the patients of Austin State Hospital, Austin, TX.
"Identity Discourse" Curated by Donna Radcliffe, Lois Stone, and Michelle Bey Williams from the Hyde Park Art Center's Curatorial Practices course, Chicago.
ArtWorks ADL, is the first annual art exhibition, highlighting the mission and impact of the Anti-Defamation League, River East Art Gallery, Chicago.
Indiana Green, A regional group exhibition featuring 2D and 3D works by artists living and working in Wisconsin and Illinois. Co-curated by Melissa Dorn Richards + Frank Juarez. Frank Juarez Gallery, Sheboygan, WI.
Permanent Collection Exhibition, Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa.
Rebirth, Archer Loft Art exhibition, Chicago.
KIPP:Chicago benefit dinner/silent auction. KIPP is a network of tuition-free, open enrollment schools dedicated to helping under-resourced elementary and middle-school students (90% low-income) attain the skills necessary to be successful in college through a college prep program.
“Party at the Clarke” Evanston Art Center Spring Gala and Benefit Auction, Evanston, IL.
Queer Thoughts Gallery benefit at Peregrine Program, Chicago.
“Being Paint” Duk Ju L. Kim, John Salhus, Darrell Roberts Zhou B. Art Center, Chicago.
“Absolut Wrapture!” Chicago House winter auction and cocktail event for men, women
and children affected by HIV/AIDS, 99th Floor Sky Deck, Willis Tower, Chicago.
2012
Niv Art Center Artists in Residency art exhibition, LOCUS SOLUS: RASA * 12 Curated
by Elizabeth Rogers, Lalit Kala Akademi (National Academy of Fine Art) New Delhi,
India. (Color Catalog)
Fresh Abstraction-Selections from the McCormick Gallery, The Art Center Highland
Park, Highland Park, Il.
Open Wall, Alderman Ameya Pawar’s 47th Ward Office, Chicago.
“The Abstract Show” Brickton Art Center, Park Ridge, IL.
33 Contemporary Gallery in collaboration with the Zhou B. Art Center present:
Facemask, Exploring the "other" behind our social media face. The 8th Annual National
Self-Portrait Exhibition 2012, Chicago, IL.
Interaction, Curated by Sun. H. Choi, Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, Wheeling, IL.
Uncensored: Queer Art and the Church, Leslie-Lohman Annex, New York, NY.
Abstract, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, WI.
Evanston Art Center’s 2012 Spring Benefit Exhibition and Art Auction.
KIPP Ascend Charter School Associate Board Silent Auction.
ASH Insights, Benefiting the patients of Austin State Hospital, Emma S. Barrientos
Mexican Cultural Center, Austin, Texas.
2011
Art of Collecting, Flint Institute of the Arts, Flint, Michigan.
Hyde Park Art Center's Party with an Artist 2011at Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago.
Darrell Roberts and Candace Briceño “Hither & Thither” Curated by Ana Fernandez,
Joan Grona Gallery, San Antonio, TX
Intertwined, Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, Curated by Sun H. Choi, Co-curated by
Jiwon Yoon, Jeahoon Kim, Wheeling, IL.(color catalog with exhibition).
Art Chicago 2011 with Thomas McCormick Gallery at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago.
More Is More, Chicago artists Darrell Roberts, Sandra Perlow and Jackie Kazarian push
abstract painting to excessive ends., Beverly Arts Center, Chicago.
Peregrine Papers ~ Small Mysteries at The MDW Fair curated by Edmund Chia of
Peregrineprogram.
Featured artist, 14th floor Hotel Palomar Chicago.
Kaleidoscope, Evanston Art Center Spring Benefit and Gala Auction.
KIPP Ascend Charter School Associate Board Silent Auction, a tuition free, open
enrollment, college preparatory primary and middle school on Chicago's West Side.
Marks of Process, UNI Gallery of Art, Cedar Falls, IA. (color brochure with show).
Evanston Art Center, Faculty exhibition, Evanston, IL.
2010
"Interpretations", curated by Julian Williams, South Suburban College, South Holland,
IL.
Not Just Another Pretty Face, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago (color catalog with show).
Changarrito project with resident artist Maximo Gonzalez @ the Hyde Park Art Center,
Chicago.
Union Square Lofts:Doug Frohman, Jay Zerbe, Ted Stanuga, Darrell Roberts, downtown
Chicago.
The Casa Aztlán After School Program Benefit Auction. This program supports the
children (ages 6 - 16) in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.
Evanston Biennial juried by Chicago Artist John Himmelfarb and Museum of
Contemporary Art Curator Julie Rodrigues-Widholm, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL.
8th annual Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago Hope benefit for women with HIV
or Aids and to prevent transmission of HIV to newborns, Gallery KH, Chicago.
Art Chicago 2010 with Thomas McCormick Gallery at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Mix and Match, Sandra Perlow and Darrell Roberts, Hinsdale Center For The Arts,
Hinsdale, IL.
2009
Corporeal, River East Art Center, Chicago.
Just Good Art 2009, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago.
Time To Shine, 17th Annual HRC(Human Rights Campaign) Gala, Chicago.
Binary: A Pairing of Opposite States, Near North West Arts Concil/St. Paul's Cultural
Center, Part of Chicago Artist Month, Chicago.
Environmental themed exhibition at Moss Design, part of Ravenswood Art Walk,
Chicago.
McCormick Contemporary 2009, Dirty Dozen, new work by gallery artist, Chicago
Bosco Productions, A Taste of Chicago, 6 artist, Chicago
Art Chicago 2009 with Thomas McCormick Gallery at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Spring Gala, Hyde Park Art Center, Artist/Chef collaboration with Chef John Caputo of
Bin 36.
Two Person Show: David Griffin and Darrell Roberts, Galesburg Civic Art Center, IL
2008
4th annual Brickton Art Center Benefit Auction/Show, Park Ridge, IL
Not Just Another Pretty Face, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago (color catalog with show)
Chicago Expression: The 5 Artist' Project, Ossia Fine Arts Gallery, Chicago (color
brochure with show)
Summer Abstraction: 2008, Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago
Darrell Roberts and Eliza K. Thomas at Texas French Bread, Austin, Texas
Art Chicago 2008 with Thomas McCormick Gallery at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Stairwell Gallery, bottomless, Chicago
Society for Contemporary Art Benefit at the historic Sullivan Center, Chicago
Restless: A visual essay, curated by Shannon Stratton, Green Lantern, Chicago
Il Fiasco Chicago, Five New Artist, Chicago
Art Reach at Lillstreet Benefit 2008, Chicago
2007
Cephalic Symbols 3, a benefit for the Ed Paschke Foundation, Judy A Saslow Gallery,
Chicago
Fresh Paint; a group exhibition of Chicago painters, Thomas McCormick Gallery,
Chicago
5th Annual Andersonville Arts Weekend, Chicago
Just Good Art 2007, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
Texture & Tone: Meredith Brickell, Joe Pintz & Darrell Roberts, Lillstreet Art Center,
Chicago
Brickton Art Center, Robert Putman and Darrell Roberts:The Texture of Change,
Chicago
Clothesline II, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
Ravenshood juried exhibit, Images Gallery, Chicago
Constellation: A Faculty Show, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
TOXIC COLOR, exit gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Salon show, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago
Amata Corporation Showcase, Chicago
Human Rights Campaign Gala, Chicago
Hyde Park Art Center, Spring Gala, Honoring Chris Kennedy, Chicago
Art Chicago 2007 @ the Merchandise Mart:Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago
Material + Light: Paola Cabal, Ana Fernandez, Darrell Roberts, Video Screening:
Decasia by Bill Morrison, mn gallery, Chicago
Christopher Art Gallery, Prairie State College, Group Show, Chicago Heights, IL
Lillstreet Art Center, Faculty Show, Chicago
2006
I feel, good, i feel great, i feel wonderful, current works by Ana Fernandez and Darrell
Roberts, L2 Kontemporay Gallery, LA
Brickton Art Center Annual Art Exhibition, Park Ridge, IL
Chicago Art Open at the Zhou B Art Center, Chicago
Open House Project:Curated by Jodie Jacobi, Evanston, IL
Andersonville Art Weekend, Chicago
Just Good Art, Hyde Park Art Center 2006, Chicago
Ulrich Project Series:The General Store, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State
University, Kansas
North Shore Art League, 2006 Art Show, Winnetka, IL
Hyde Park Art Center, Material Science, Chicago
From Here to There, Marwen, Chicago
How Did I Get Here, Elastic, Chicago
Plaster Works, HPAC, Faculty Show, Chicago
Marwen, Those Who Do Teach, Faculty Show, Chicago
Lillstreet Art Center, Faculty Show, Chicago
2005
Winter Benefit, Las Manos Gallery, Chicago
Holiday Show, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago
Chicago Art Foundation and Pediatric Aids Benefit, Merchandise Mart, Chicago
The 29th Annual Plaza Art Competition and Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago
Lillstreet Art Center Gallery, Teaching Artist of the Month, Chicago
Just Good Art 2005, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
Chicago Artist Month, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago
Absolute Vodka Gay Chicago's International Competition
Absolute Vodka/Roscoe's Chicago Competition
Living Room Gallery Artist, Oak Park, IL
Visions of Chocolate, Benefiting Chicago's Abused Women Coalition, Chicago
White Art Benefit Auction for Theatre Production ART, Chicago
Bridge Magazine 1st Annual Benefit Art Auction and International Art Awards Gala,
Chicago
Tzgallery, Painting Installation, Chicago
Marwen, Those Who Do Teach, Faculty Show, Chicago
Selected Artist, Living Room Gallery, Oak Park, IL
Abstraction III, High Risk Gallery, Chicago
Lillstreet Art Center, Faculty Show, Chicago
Track House, "The Gift", Oak Park, IL
2004
Arnulfo's New Years Celebration, "Birth", Chicago
Living Room Gallery, Oak Park, IL
Just Good Art 2004, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
Yard Sale @ Track House, Track House, Oak Park, IL
7th Annual Chicago Art Open, Chicago
Abstract, High Risk Gallery, Chicago
"Inspired 2004", Illinois Institute of Art, Student Scholarship Fund, Chicago
Mestiza, 1st Show, Chicago
General Store, Stray Show, Chicago
"The Party", Track House, Oak Park, IL
Cosmic Café, Chicago
Marwen, Those Who Do Teach; Faculty Show, Chicago
Lillstreet Art Center, Current works: Darrell Roberts/Gisela Insuaste, Chicago
2003
Lillstreet Art Center, 2D Faculty Show, Chicago
Betty Rymer Gallery, Super Fresh, Chicago
Karvana, Green Bay, Wisconsin
MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Graduate Exhibition
Zeke&Neen, The Stray Show, Chicago
ArtHotel2003, Embassy Suites, Chicago
Betty Rymer Gallery, Big Picture Show, Chicago
Art Walk/Art Windows, Nordstroms, Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Art Walk/Art Windows, Oilily, Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Mngallery, color: critical, Chicago
Sarah Lawrence Students for Students Scholarship Fund, New York
ARTwork4, Gallery2, Chicago
2002
Clune Construction, 10 S. LaSalle, Chicago
5th Annual Chicago Art Open
Admissions, The School of the Art Institute, Chicago
Art Walk/Art Windows, Nordstroms, Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Art Walk/Art Windows, Fatellie Rosettie, Michigan Avenue, Chicago
The Chicago Underground
A.S.A.P. (Alternative Space for Art Projects), Chicago
2001
Pandera, Evanston, IL
Chicago Art Open 2001
Period Gallery, Omaha NE
Human Rights Campaign Benefit, Chicago
Five in One, Chicago
Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago
Hotel show, Embassy Suites, Chicago
'lil MFA Show, 112 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Face Off, Betty Rymer Gallery, Chicago
Clune Construction, 10 S. LaSalle, Chicago
Art Walk/Art Windows, Lalique, Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Spaced Oddities, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Gallery 2
2000
Chicago Art Open 2000
Ennui Café, 6981 N. Sheridan, Chicago
Midway Airport Terminal, Chicago
BareWalls 2000, Chicago
Modest Contemporary Art Projects, Chicago
Perfect Cup, 4700 N. Damen, Chicago
Art of the Millennium, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
BFA School of The Art Institute of Chicago Undergraduate Exhibition
Artwalk /Art Windows, Sacks Fifth Avenue Chicago
The Carlos Reid Gallery mission is to provide the highest quality art by the most talented new, emerging, and established artists- worldwide. To engage a wide array of audiences, against the backdrop of an online-based platform that elevates artists and their work.
New
New
LIVE ART AUCTIONS ARE HERE
AKILI RICHARDS and D.L. WARFIELD ARE THIS WEEK'S FEATURED LIVE ART AUCTION ARTISTS
July 5, 2016 - July 14, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
June 30, 2016 - July 9, 2016
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
"What keeps me going back to DL Warfield is not just his obvious creative excellence, but also the passion he puts behind any project. He’s relentless; he really cares about your product. He will
always be a part of my team."
- Multi-platinum Grammy award winner Usher
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTISTS
London, England, United Kingdom
Bruxelles, Belgium
Munich, Germany
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Venice, California, United States
New York, New York, United States
Sofia, Bulgaria
Dijon, Bourgogne, France
Berlin, Germany
Gascogne, France
Clearwater, Florida, United States
London, England, United Kingdom
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Brasov, Brasov, Romania
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Los Angeles, California, United States
Bulgaria
Paris, France
Bristol, United Kingdom
Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
Paris, France
Berlin, Germany
Barcelona, Spain
Miami, Florida, United States
Phuket, Thailand
2016 International Emerging Artist Award | Dubai
Berlin, Germany
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Singapore
London, United Kingdom
Santa Fe, NM, United States
Paris, France
Denis Rodier is a member of la Fondation Taylor, France .
Drouot Cotation 2002, France.
New Zealand
London, United Kingdom
United States
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Trikala, Thessaly, Greece
Llansanffraid, Powys, United Kingdom
New York, New York, United States
Reno, NV, United States
Hayward, California, United States
Start your online art collection at The Carlos Reid Gallery Online.
Sign up to receive The Carlos Reid Gallery Online Newsletter
All of the artwork listed with The Carlos Reid Gallery is guaranteed by the artists to be one-of-a kind originals. All artwork sold by The Carlos Reid Gallery is delivered with a certificate of authenticity directly from the artist. The Carlos Reid Gallery cannot guarantee the availability of artwork because it sells fast. Framed/matted and limited edition prints are considered final sale items and are not eligible for return.
(Warning: Adult Content)
The Carlos Reid Gallery offers a 7 day money-back guarantee*
Unless otherwise stated, all work herein is copyright of the artists
All images and writing protected. Reprint available with permission from The Carlos Reid Gallery, Copyright © 2016 The Carlos Reid Gallery, L.L.C., All rights reserved.
THE CARLOS REID GALLERY
Contemporary | Modern | International | Art | Online