“Reminds Me Of” by David Michael Slonim

“I used to paint from life exclusively. I started painting in the early 90s,” says artist David Michael Slonim, whose work is currently on display at the Honeywell Center Clark Gallery. “I would paint what was in front of me, to the best of my ability.”

“Little by little my work became more abstract,” Slonim continues. “The more I painted, the more I drifted that way in my head.”

Slonim’s current works are a far cry from photo-realism, often consisting of a simple color palette and basic shapes. However, his paintings do start with real-life places.

“I learned abstraction by studying the Indiana landscape for 25 years,” he says. “Even though my images are not currently of places or objects, they’re representative of objects and places. We’re wired to respond to colors and shape and lights and darks,” Slonim says, explaining he views his work as “music for your eyes.”

All That Remains (Photo Provided)

“If you listen to any genre of instrumental music, you’re listening to an arrangement of tones in time,” he continues. “They’re both arrangements of tone, both have this ability to move you.”

“The best paintings always happen as a genuine response, getting wrapped up in what’s happening on the canvas,” says Slonim. “I’ll respond to what’s happening on the surface as I’m seeing it. The music of the painting takes over and tells me where it’s going. Just let it develop along the lines that its telling you it wants to go. Then you just wait for that moment when everything feels right.”

“The paintings in this show in Wabash, I couldn’t have planned,” he says. “When the paintings actually finished, that’s a great moment. Almost always, I step back and say, ‘wow, how did this happen?’”

Fragment Of Song (Photo Provided)

Northern Indiana is a special place for Slonim. He and his wife moved to Anderson in 1990 from New Jersey. “It’s a great place,” he says. “It makes it possible to be an artist and not be on the verge of financial ruin.”

“I don’t want to live in the city,” Slonim goes on. “I think good art comes out of a life lived. I have kids, I have friends, I have a life way outside of painting.”

And while he resides in Anderson, Wabash, specifically a particular Wabash native, holds a special place in Slonim’s heart. “Richard Ford was a very supportive friend for a decade or more,” Slonim explains. “This amazing philanthropist and patron of the arts, somehow took an interest in me. He was just a very genuine and fun person to be around. Wabash was his pride and joy, so it just made sense.”

Slonim’s exhibit, entitled “Field of Vision,” will be on display at the Clark Gallery in Wabash, until July 26. A reception is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, July 11.