Tag Archives: pen drawing

Dan Holst Soelberg - Bunnies + Chainsaws closeup

Pattern – an Art Exhibition

Bending Spoons Gallery @

Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

3010 Dundas St W, Toronto

Show Runs until April 29, 2018

 

My new art exhibition focuses on pattern. Every piece in this show is a unique and original artwork, but each has also been developed with the intent to become a repeating pattern.

Dan Holst Soelberg - Pattern Exhibition

So, why patterns? Aesthetically, the seamlessness and infinite repetition of pattern is so damn appealing! The artwork that comprises a pattern is simultaneously contained in a finite shape and limitless in the shapes it can fill. There is also something fantastic in the messiness and organic freedom in a hand drawn pattern. Within the bounds of any pattern, there are limitless fun possibilities.

Dan Holst Soelberg - Sunday Afternoon

 

Pattern isn’t just a superficial aesthetic. In creative expression, pattern and repetition are elemental. Repetition is a powerful tool used in communication, storytelling and art. Our logical minds seek out order (repetition), and any disruption to the pattern of order signifies change that immediately stirs a response from the audience.

Dan Holst Soelberg - Bumbling Dan Holst Soelberg - Circular Growth

Repetition is often used to establish the setting in which we find the hero of a story. Think of the last time you read a book or watched a movie that relies on repetition in the first act to communicate the idea of order or a boring status quo that the protagonist is stuck in. Then something different happens that disrupts the pattern. Something new and out of the ordinary jolts the protagonist out of hum-drum boring into an adventure that sets the plot in motion.

Dan Holst Soelberg - Bumbling closeup

I believe all creative pursuits rely on pattern in some way. This exhibition is my exploration of it.

Due to schedule conflicts, I won’t be hosting a reception for this exhibition.

However, this exhibition is free for viewing at the restaurant now. I will be adding more artwork on April 8. The art will hang in Vesuvio until April 29.

Dan Holst Soelberg - Bunnies + Chainsaws closeupDan Holst Soelberg - Pattern Exhibition

 

 

Dan Holst Soelberg - Cat Print Art

Standard

Art exhibition & Fan Expo

Dan Holst Soelberg OutgrowthAlas, my exhibition is coming to a close, but there is still time to see it! Come to Toronto, have a fabulous Italian lunch or dinner and look at some tree art.

InsideHalton.com just published a story about me and my show. You can read it by clicking this link.

For directions to the restaurant and a preview of the menu, click here.

Dan Holst Soelberg Outgrowth artwork

Some of the Outgrowth art hanging in Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

As the article mentions, I will be at Fan Expo in just a couple of days. Fan Expo runs August 31 to September 3, and I will be in the Artists Alley at table A265. I’ll have my usual wares all stocked up, and a couple of new things that I haven’t had time to share here, so they will be a completely new surprise. As a teaser, I can tell you that one of my favourite greeting characters, the “arrogant cat” is making a comeback in two new cards. Come to Fan Expo to see them!

For all the information on Fan Expo, click this link to the official website. Hope you can make it!

Standard

Sketch Page & Geequinox 2017

I’ve been silent for a while. It’s a natural part of my creative life. I go through periods of introspective planning that require silence and input; I observe and let the world come at me and live through me. Now that I have two small children, silence rarely happens. I can go days on end without any meaningful silence. When I do have some precious quiet after the kids go to bed, I’ve been in the habit of sabotaging it with television or some other senseless silence-killing act. Nevertheless, silence is vital to creativity. If creativity is part of your life, you know what I mean. Like a night of deep sleep that repairs and heals the body, silence is the mind stimulant that promotes innovative connections between ideas and generates new thoughts. Silence and stillness make action possible.

So, while I am still seeking silence, I am feeling the need to express myself more than I have the last few months. I didn’t mean to be silent on this website for quite so long, and all of a sudden I feel that I have a lot to say!

For starters, I have drawn a new self-portrait.

Dan Holst Soelberg - self-portrait

I have also created a place on this website to keep some of my personal drawings.

Excerpt of sketches by Dan Holst SoelbergMost of these drawings were first posted on Facebook, and now they will have a more permanent home here. Click here to visit the page.

On to announcements: I’m excited to let you know that I will be attending a Halifax event next month as a featured guest!

geequinox-2017-Dan-Holst-Soelberg

Geequinox takes place April 22nd and 23rd. To quote the official website, “Geequinox is a two-day event held at the Halifax Forum focused on gaming, cosplay, comics, and art.” This marks my first Nova Scotian event, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I will be joining the (again, quoting the official site) “vendors of geek centric goods and services” and I will bring as many wares with me as the airline will allow. I’m flying NewLeaf for the first time direct from Hamilton to Halifax. Both the airport and the airline are new to me and I’m enthusiastically anticipating the experience. I love travelling and everything to do with travel. Even waiting in the airport feels like an adventure to me.

A big, heartfelt thanks to Marina Smith for inviting me to Geequinox. Marina has been wonderfully supportive of me and my work, and it will be exciting to finally meet her face to face. Also, a special thanks to Alex for giving me a place to stay in Halifax. Your generosity and kindness are unequaled.

Please click here to learn more about Geequinox.

Standard

Soelberg family portrait

2015 Soelberg Family Portrait drawing pen

Drawing of the Soelberg family based on photos taken January 2015.

I guess it’s pretty obvious that I find the usual posed portraits kind of dull. I had this idea for a family portrait on my bed in January of 2015. I got the whole family on the bed, took the photos and picked the expressions that seemed to best reveal our moods and personalities. Just as I was about to make the drawing, I was consumed by distraction. Then other priorities took over, and mounting distractions filled my days until the drawing was literally buried under papers. I dug it out last month, finished the pencil drawing and inked it. Getting the personality and expression right is deeply satisfying. When I’m drawing from life, and especially portraits, every line of permanent ink is an exciting act of bravery. It’s a commitment. I’m sure tattoo artists get that same thrill with every bit of ink they commit to flesh.

On a related note, I was contacted just this week by someone wondering if I do commissioned drawings and portraits. Yes I do! Please contact me at dhsoelberg@gmail.com with inquiries. I’ll post a gallery of past commissions to my site soon.

2015 Soelberg Family Portrait progress drawing pencil ink

Here’s a progress shot. Pencil drawing is done and I’ve just started the basic inking.

2015 Soelberg Family Portrait (upside down) drawing

Here’s an upside down view of the drawing

Standard