Artist Review: Small & DaFoe Exhibition

The latest art exhibit in town, Multi-Dimensional, curated by artist Susan Tibbles, brings together two life-long friends, veteran artist George Small and newbie Douglas DaFoe. 

Tibbles selected works from both artists that are an excellent blend of design elements and complement. George is showing six images from his Innocence Lost photography series, his Mona Lisa series, and a new combined-medium print series. Doug’s work is various carved wood patterns painted with patinas to acrylics with fluorescence. Do take a look.

At the opening on August 10, I met with the artists to talk about their work:

Q. George, your favorite piece Susan curated for this show?

A. To be honest, they are all my favorites. The one piece that resonates with me and gives me an idea of what I will continue with is the Lincoln piece.

How did you make the Abraham Lincoln? [see photo]

It was a photograph of Lincoln taken from an old history book. I collaged into it, a montage of superimposing images over each other, combining, cutting, and pasting. When I’m satisfied, I transfer-print the image onto specialty paper with chemicals, and add to it till I arrive at the desired effect. I deliberately aged the photo, made it look a little beat up, gave him a blue eye for black and blue because he represents to me someone who died for our country and represents our future; we have to fight for what he fought for. Then laid red and yellow stripes for our flag and other interpretive effects – here everything is fragmented, but he still stands. A social statement.

How long have you been doing art?

All my life. I just retired my art school and gallery in Santa Monica to move to Santa Barbara, which I had for 40 years called The Art Studio. It was actually Bob Dylan’s old recording studio. There is so much history in everything around us. My father was an artist. I was exposed to a lot of visual material and drew right off the bat at a young age. I loved art in process; I could have been a rich man but wanted to be an artist. My dad went to the original Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles [now CalArts], and I went with him to some workshops as a kid.

And what’s your favorite tool?

I used to work with large oil pastels and soft pastels for my figure drawings. Now I work more in the abstract, so my evolution brought me to colored pencils!

How did you meet Doug?

I had hired him to do some work for me about a year ago. He was a successful cabinet-maker, so he understood detail and precision in design. When he showed me his woodwork art, I mentioned to him it is like American artist Frank Stella’s abstract prints. Doug never studied fine art, but after I showed him Stella’s, he got it and named one of his works here after him.

Doug added:

Yes, I had no idea who he was talking about! These types of designs just came out of me. The first tessellation I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shape. Then eight months into it, I came across an architectural magazine that had the same pattern, which was a 3,000-year-old design from Cairo. First, I carve and design the piece from wood, then experiment with various types of paint. For example, [for] Labyrinth, I used a paint with atomized copper in it, treated it with acid, which corrodes it in a matter of minutes and creates a patina. I embellish it with pastels. There is no way out of the labyrinth once you enter it. The design used to be on the Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapper – those illusions, the three tubes connected with a single line. The wood I use is composite sign material, so it’s very flat, easy on the tools, takes the paint really well.

So, most of these here are from your geometric phase. What is most current?

The piece titled Mostly High is a departure from what I have been doing and where I am heading. I gave it that name because when I began to lay out the cut wood pieces, it looked like a group of airplanes. It reminded me of aircraft take offs and landings, smiles, and smirks. It looks like many different things; they all play with your mind. It is a departure from the purist designs. Many times, the work just evolves and I never know what I’m going to end up with. Each one I do is different. George has been a great influence and very supportive. As I do more, the more I want to do, now art is all I want to do. 

Seen at the opening: veteran Santa Barbara artist Mike Irwin; SB born artist and hairdresser at 19 Blue, Ryan DaFoe [Doug’s nephew]; and musician Bryan Rexfors.

411: Multi-Dimensional Exhibit, through September 7, at the SB Tennis Club
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