Dave Rankin

Dave Rankin is a contemporary artist specializing in oils and mixed media. Growing up in northern New England, his large family spent much of their time struggling financially. The beauty of Maine is belying, beneath the incredible landscape lives a cold, bleak place that exposes itself during the long winter months. While he loved being there, there was always an undercurrent of grief surrounding their family. Dave’s mother was a watercolor artist, he was inspired by her sense of artistic adventure, but after her divorce from his father and subsequent years of alcohol abuse, she entered into a downward spiral that ultimately ended in her passing. During this time, Dave went through many incarnations of life, changing careers several times, raising a family with his wife of 22 years, and witnessing what he considers a tumultuous time politically both nationally and internationally. Learning how to deal with the loss of his mother and what is happening around us is his inspiration. Much of his work is a catharsis, a way to release emotion. It is a way of confronting his own fears of immortality and the state of our nation and world. At many times, he feels like a person trapped and creating art is a way to see through that. Putting emotion onto canvas is his way of facing death and a constant reminder of why he is here. His method of working centers around oil painting with a touch of mixed media. In the early stages of a painting, he will use cut paper or photography elements to build collage texture, then block in color with a few layers of acrylic paint, many times using golds and other bright colors. After that, much of the painting is finished using layer upon layer of oil paint until it is near completion. An earthen palette gives way to vivid colors as a way of creating emphasis for particular areas of a piece. Palette knives help with the process of building texture along with brushed glazes to enhance color. Depending on the piece, he will apply epoxy resin as a texturing agent and then paint over that. This technique will sometimes give the paint sitting on top the impression it is resting on glass. Many of his canvases are displayed unframed, as the viewer can feel their rawness even more. Dave now lives in Santa Monica with his wife, dog, cat and the youngest of his two sons, who is attending Santa Monica College.