DAPHYNE ALTMAN

Opening night during The Heart of Life: Paintings by Daphyne Altman and Portia Lyde

ARTIST STATEMENT

At an early age I envisioned becoming a medical illustrator. However, specialized cameras took over that medical need.  Now, I'm painting medical illustrations my way.  The near death experience of a recent heart attack inspired me to create this series of paintings that celebrate the beauty of our internal organs.  Popular mediums such as television and movies usually frighten viewers with such images.  I find the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs to be wonders of engineering and beauty.  Years of travel in such places as India, Mexico and the Philipines have made me very aware of vibrant colors and strong patterns as have the many mediums in which I've worked, including fiber, ceramics, glass and mosaics. In my twenties, I studied art at Sacramento Junior College.  It was a demanding and intense art program, but my studies were cut short when the Art Department closed after Pearl Harbor.  While living and traveling with my husband in the Philippines, India and Saudi Arabia, I became influenced by the vibrant colors and intricate patterns of native arts.  My weavings, mosaics, jewelry, and other arts have been sold at the Coast Gallery in Big Sur, Nordstrom's in San Francisco, and Chico venues including Grace Junior's, Vagabond Rose, and Made in Chico.

In recent years, I've studied photography and painting at Butte College, glass blowing and sculpture at CSUC and fabric arts at the Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts in Berkeley.  All of the mediums in which I have worked have enriched each other.

Gallery note: Daphyne Altman is also a great fiber artist.  Click here to see her work at the Fibers 2006 exhibit at Avenue 9 Gallery.

Below are Daphyne's Anatomical Beauties