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Artistaday.com - Find new contemporary art, create your own gallery of art

Dara Engler  Monroe, LA


* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.


About Dara


As a culture we walk a fine line. Struggling to balance the stresses in our lives. We battle between choosing inactive activities that allow us to hibernate and turn off our brains, and choosing hobbies that will enrich our lives. I paint secluded, vacant, zombie-like figures; who have relaxed in their habits until they have lost time. They have anesthetized themselves and become sluggish, jaundiced, and so lacking muscle tone that they hang over their chairs and defy anatomy. Opposing these figures are the ornery, striped pirates; waking up on the wrong side of the bed, they are more alert, and as a result, more grumpy. It”s well worth some pouting and furrowed brows to be certain that we don”t sleepwalk through our lives (If I were you, I”d put my money on the pirates).

The most an artist can do is paint the things they know and hope other people see things from a new angle. What I know is that if it were not for the act of painting, I would be lost to the worlds I paint.


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Dara appears in the following Top 10 lists


'2010'

'Louisiana'


10 of 31 reactions displayed


"ewww! Old people and cats....its almost....hilarious.... :)"

"A fan of Vuillard? Nice work :)"

"Very moving work. I see myself in these figures. I agree that the juxtaposition of a nearly lifeless body against the playfulness of the cats is wonderful and creative."

"yes, art IS therapy . . . these are exquisite. Thank you."

"Absolutely beautiful."

"I wouldn't hang them on my wall, but they are interesting. It reminds me of the movie about the rats. very strange."

"So this first painting was very neat, to say the least. The first thing that appeared to mind, was how paralyzed the "Cat Lady" looked. The discomfort of her body positioning, from strangled arm to curling toes, tells me shes not very happy. It is almost as if her cats represent addiction and the love to have more. Not necessarily the need. The way her shirt straps on her arm significantly depicts use of needles. Drugs. Addiction. Cats. Buy a Dog Next Time! :D"

"Thank you for the images of Me and me"

"Love the paintings. I can relate the paintings because I have 5 cats!!!"

"Intriguing. One can smell the unattended cat latrines."


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