Donald Kolberg Studio
Statement
Since the tragedy of losing my son I have had to struggle to make sense of my expressions in art. To be successful in this journey I turned first to the quietness of Chinese brush painting and Haiku. This allowed me to express my emotions in straight forward line, brush strokes and simple words. As I started to produce works I became aware of my own interpretation of an artistic voice and language for my mark making. The Black of my mourning has become the color of my art as I go beyond black, 'Outrenoir', to use the words of painter Pierre Soulages.
More recently I have begun to use color again. Color for me is like poetry for the eyes. When it is superimposed on shapes and textures it creates forms that may be geometric or abstract. These are the words that I’ve translated into what you read on the surface of my work.
It seems my memories of cross country travel have become an inspiration for my work in Landscapes and Seascapes. And while they draw on abstract tenants they are recognizable for the emotion they touch.
Artist Biography
Donald incorporates his concept Life Forms, the portrayal of the human figure as a landscape of life and form, into his painting, sculpture and mixed media work. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, he attended Nassau Community College before making his way cross country to California. A graduate of California State University at Los Angeles, he went on to his master’s work at Otis College of Art and Design.
Working to fund his way through college found Donald working in picture framing shops, freelance writing for national magazines and producing and video editing for public service television.
Solo shows have been exhibited at Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Ga., Colquitt County Art Center, Moultrie, Ga. and Albany Museum of Art, Albany, Ga. His work has also been included in exhibitions at The Museum of Florida Art, DeLand, Fl., Marietta Cobb Museum of Art Marietta, GA. and at Bethune Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Fl. Donald is featured in several online exhibitions and gallery shows which include his sculpture, paintings, multi-media collage, printmaking and original mail art.
He has appeared in several calendar exhibitions by Barebrush.com and has appeared in a New York City exhibition at the NOHO Gallery, Chelsea. His work has been featured as cover art on Flagler County Magazine, Florida. His work is held in numerous private collections throughout the United States