Bio

Daryoosh aims to raise the eyebrow, touch the heart and tickle the soul with visual art. In his oil paintings, he employs a layered approach to reveal the exquisite interplay of pigments and light. In his digital creations, he uses pixels and electricity to bend reality. He started his creative journey in Iran through drawing and oil painting. After he moved to United States, he satisfied his need for creativity in the field of Engineering and Information Technology for several years before he dedicated himself fully to his passion, visual arts.

 
Artist Statement

I used to trade my heart beats for cash and YouTube trash as if I had an unlimited supply. Until one day a dead man stopped me in my tracks in Rijks museum. When I was finally able to stop staring at the masterpiece, I found myself in the middle of a sea of people from every age, race and nationality with their jaws on the floor. The ethereal power of art to connect us beyond time and space was undeniable. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is how I want to spend the rest of my heartbeats so may be one day I too can grab a perfect stranger by the heart when I am dead. It may be a tall order I will never achieve but I will have a hell of a time trying.

When I am painting in my studio at 2 AM with all my mental bandwidth dedicated to creation (not consumption), I know deep in my bones that this regret free state of being is what life was meant to be. Those are the moments that are not about a misguided search for significance. They stand alone independent of other’s judgment or attention. It is about feeding my insatiable appetite to uncover the hidden magic around me that masquerades itself so brilliantly as mundane. Whether through explosion of colors or subtle loss of an edge, the search is often for a new question rather than an old answer. My hope is freezing time on a two dimensional surface will somehow result in an altered perspective (mine and yours).

I wish I could say I create only out of passion, but to be frank, fear is just as big of a motivator for me. Fear of the day my cause is forgotten, my soul rotten, and all I see in the mirror is a grumpy old man that has spent his last heartbeat serving another man's dream.

I dabble both in the digital and physical world to satisfy my creative needs. Each has it’s own benefits:

The inherent intimacy and dexterity involved in creating an oil painting can not be replicated with digital mediums. The piece can communicate independent of electricity, hardware and software. All it needs is light. Unlike a motion picture, an oil painting engages with the audience on their own term, without the pressure of time.

On the other hand the non-destructive nature of a digital environment allows for a healthy amount of experimentation that can otherwise be cost prohibitive and wasteful using a physical medium. The ability to take advantage of an additional dimension (time) multiplies the possibilities an artist can explore.

Regardless of which medium I use, I live for the wow moments born out of living on the edge of my comfort zone.

Growing up, I learned to either master or fake competence to get a good grade, land a good job or impress a potential mate. The more I tended to my ego by sticking to what I know, the less I grew. I completely forgot how to appreciate the joy of incompetence like I used to when I was a fast learning child. Now that I am older, things are a bit different. Although I still care about what other people think, its impact on my choices is less significant. Now I find myself jumping into projects with a half baked idea and I just love the fear and excitement that comes with it. I learn the most when I get lost in an uncharted territory so I try to get lost more often. That said, the sweet spot is where chance meet intention.

For my oil paintings I paint in layers. The complexity that interaction of each layer of paint with another produces allows for a completely new experience in different lighting. Sometimes I start my work with a clear vision of the finished work. Then the painting completely ignores my plans and takes a life of its own. Over time I have learned to sit back and enjoying the ride.

Growth is the essence of life. That is where curiosity, wonder and discovery meet.  I consider anyone that dares to explore and create an artist regardless of their skill or experience. If your brush is paralysed with fear but proceeds to kiss the canvas anyway, you are an artist. If you are curious and would like to learn how to paint you can start with browsing through these Reference Material

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