My life is so rich! I feel grateful every day that I have eyes to see and a body to dance. Making art is a celebration of life. I have thought of myself as an artist since childhood. I was class artist in high school.and majored in art at Skidmore College, and received a masters at Yale University.

The most important experience at Skidmore was studying painting with Arnold Bittleman, who had studied with the great Joseph Albers at Yale University. Albers created and taught a color course at Yale which Bittleman absorbed and taught to me at Skidmore. After graduating Skidmore, I attended Yale University, where I received a masters. I was fortunate to receive such a powerful foundation for my life’s work!

Color is not only delightful, it is magical in how it can make the illusion space on a flat canvas. Colors move forward or back in space depending on what they are next to or surrounded by. For me it is a kind of magic, which has guided me in all my work.

My earliest paintings were acrylic on canvas. I often applied the paint thickly, with lots of texture.

They were representational: faces, dancers, landscapes… however, I always painted in an abstract way, making the color and the movement more important than the object.

I became addicted to dancing tango in 1995 and have continued to dance all these years throughout The United States and Buenos Aires, Argentina, where tango was born. In the early 2000s I began painting abstract tango images, as I listened to tango music.

In about 2002 I began using gesso in an unconventional way. Gesso is thick, white acrylic primer on which you paint. Instead of putting the gesso underneath, I put it on top of a painted panel. I then scratched through the wet gesso, drawing faces and tango dancers. After it dried, I added more color. Mondrian Milonga and Salon Argentina are examples.

In 2013 I discovered painting on Venetian plaster. I apply thin washes of acrylic paint which absorbed into the surface. After many layers of paint, there is a luminescence and the illusion of space which is created in a very different way than in my earlier work. The technique is somewhat like fresco.

In the last 10 years I have been more interested in pure abstraction. Each person sees something different in abstract art. It can look different daily or hourly as seen in different lights. I love this because the painting is alive and changing. Also, i feel as if I am having a conversation with you. I start a story and you finish it.

I have painted, shown and sold my paintings to individuals and institutions for over 40 years. I am now retired, which means I paint for myself when I am inspired. I do not work at marketing and advertising as I did for many years! Today I show my work locally when I am asked and have built this website so that you can visit my past and present paintings. Everything here listed with a price is for sale. If you see something that you might enjoy living with, contact me. I am happy to tell you about my painting, and  answer any questions. 

You are welcome to visit my studio in Salida, Colorado. Call or text 720-273-3293 or email me at dvoratango@gmail.com.