Flourishing

Delna Dastur – Delna wants her work to be complex, full of depth and texture, and she thrives on experimentation. She wants viewers to find something new in her paintings, constantly. Each painting feeds the next and this often leads her to create series. One series is very organic in feel and the other much more structural. Nature in all its color, intricacy, and beauty is reflected in one, and cityscapes standing tall and grand in the other. Occasionally the two intersect, plants intertwining with buildings, climbing atop skyscrapers. She has a huge arsenal of materials in her studio and uses them to create layer upon layer of acrylics, inks, markers, gels, and collage. She intermingles paintings with drawing, finding joy in creating both. She wants to engage the viewer and to share her excitement in creating the work. Similarly, she conveys this enthusiasm about making art while teaching a class entitled, Exploring Abstraction at the Smithsonian Institution.