Discovering cities

As an avid traveler, Dmitri Danish has curated a dynamic array of reference materials for his paintings. He takes photographs and always has a notebook and pencil at hand to jot down ideas. Inspiration comes from both places he’s visited before and ones he is discovering for the first time. When translating the works on canvas, Danish paints his feelings and impressions of what he sees rather than actual reality.

“It is very important for me to keep the mood and liveliness—vitality—of the moment,” he says. “I carefully consider selection of the subject. It’s like a script for a movie. The painting should be interesting to watch.”

Color is an important tool in Danish’s artwork as it creates the emotional background. He says, “For the general solution of color composition, the choice of colors and their relation to each other is important; depth and contrast in the right places create an ‘intrigue’ of the picture.”

Throughout the month of February, Danish will have an exhibition of approximately 10 paintings at Lotton Gallery in Chicago. The show will focus on places such as Florence and Venice, Italy.

Gallery director Christina Franzoso says, “Getting lost in romantic cities like Venice or Florence, exploring cobblestone streets and relaxing at a sidewalk café, enjoying life. These are the things Dmitri Danish reminds us of in his paintings: wanderlust, freedom and adventure—enchantment for the soul.”

Often depicted on Danish’s canvas are rain- or snow-filled scenes, as in his new paintings Rainfall, Venice and Florence. “At such moments, everything looks charming because of a radiant variety of shades,” Danish explains. “I love it and try to ‘transfer’