Studio Visit: David DeFelice

Crunchy outside with a gooey linseed center

We were struck by the raw gestural abstraction of David DeFelice’s artwork when we had the opportunity to critique his paintings this Spring. At the time, David was finishing his MFA from the Academy of Art University. Six months later, we love the work so much we have curated David along with Peter Dimick, Anthony May, and Nancy Spoelhoff in our January exhibition titled Restructured.

To get a better understanding of DeFelice and his work for the show we popped into his SoMa studio for a chat.

Shoes at the door

While David’s artwork is filled with scratches and drips, his studio space is amazingly composed. We met outside the warehouse space and entered into a smaller office/studio.

David DeFelice, bundled up against the cold. The mustache provides insulation.

David had a series of paintings in progress, and close to resolution. Working closely from photographs the pieces feature figures that weave in and out of abstract elements.

Layers of charcoal and paint

Drawing strongly on the long tradition of Bay Area Figurative painting DeFelice’s artwork is a study of process. Each piece is built up with washes and thick swaths of paint before being reduced down through scratching and sanding. The paintings have a sense of fragmented layering with punches of color that are partly obscured by the figures. New to this body of work are thick juicy bits of oil paint sitting on the surface, which create a dynamic contrast to the rougher, sanded patches.

To see the finished work be sure to swing by the gallery January 3-15 for Restructured. You can even meet David and the other artists at our opening reception on January 6 from 6-8pm. Of course, if you cant make it to the gallery, you can always see the work online at hangart.com

---