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Darren Grant Biography |
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Darren Grant is an oil painter whose talent is uncommon. He is equally skillful in abstract and natural realism, and even a combination of the two, which he calls Abstralism. He sees these styles as not mutually exclusive, often informing each other, and this versatility has propelled his 30-year career. His flexibility in art mirrors his life path. Born in Long Beach, California on June 12, 1967, Darren has trained as a painter since age 12. His love for art and early talent led him to architecture as a college major. While attending The Art Center College Of Design in Pasadena, Darren excelled in perspective rendering and design. He worked as a designer for an architectural firm in Long Beach for several years before deciding to give painting his full energy in 1993, at age 24.
With the skills of a trained architect and the heart of an artist, he began private oil painting lessons with acclaimed painter and teacher William Martin, who taught in the Classical and Old Master way of oil painting. Darren Grant draws inspiration from artists with architecture backgrounds like himself, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. He also studies the mid-19th century American landscape artists such as Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, and Albert Bierstadt, known as The Hudson River School. Darren draws the legacies of those artists into his own innate style to create stunning oil paintings for clients and galleries. From 2004-2008, Darren flexed his paintbrush toward the abstract, becoming highly regarded in California for his abstract paintings and murals. Galleries in Laguna Beach and Beverly Hills featured his work, and the buzz spread. He made his living in that way for many years. These days, Darren is feeling pulled toward natural realism. Weather it be a still life, a mountain, or a building, Darren finds the beauty in its very existence and captures that in oils. His paintings of the California coast wonderfully depict the dynamic serenity of the shore. During a recent road trip around Colorado and New Mexico, Darren took in the sights for inspiration. The works that have come from that tour are as lovely and fresh as Colorado itself. Darren continues to master the art of oil painting in the classical realistic style and plans to expand his reach across U.S. Darren Grant lives in California, where he enjoys kayaking and mountain biking. Darren’s works have been sold nationwide, and have been shown in galleries in Laguna Beach, Beverly Hills, and Aspen, Colorado. |
