DANA ANN SCHEURER

Dana Ann Scheurer’s “Watercolors” are a new and whimsical surrealism, rich in inventive images of architectural and geometric forms.  In absurd juxtaposition, Old Masters, humanoid sculptures, paintbrushes, palettes, bicycles, and fish are accompanied by and orchestra of musical instruments and keyboards.  Intimate columns in complex corridors of architectural spaces weave through interior and exterior landscapes, as an occasional “Saturn on a String” dances over head.  Scheurer’s mastery of her medium allows her to create a poetry of detail that leads to delights that are the rewards of repeated viewing of her work.  The spiritual impact of these gentle watercolors is a general feeling of an intense, benign, and beautiful universe welcoming us all with all its wonders.  Scheurer’s work has been described as “highly idiosyncratic, funny, challenging and precise, and a little difficult to describe in print.”

Scheurer has lived in Reston Virginia since 1981 with her husband Michael,  and two daughter’s, Laura and Elizabeth.  She studied Intaglio Printmaking at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and The John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis.  The structure and well-defined edges of her watercolors are direct result of her printmaking background.

She designed the 2007 Reston Home Tour Logo.  Recent commissions include featured artist for both the Reston Town Center pavilion wall, Reston Town Center Management Group, and by the new reston.com travel website.

When not painting, Scheurer and husband, Michael of compete in marathons and triathlons.  She combined the disciplines of both athletics and art when designing the 2003 and 2008 Reston Triathlon posters.
 
Selected works are now being reproduced as limited edition Iris  Giclee prints by the master printers at Old Town Editions, of Alexandria, Virginia.  Each print is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.   Old Town Editions  client base includes The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Institution, The  National Holocaust Museum, The Freer-Sackler Museum, The National Portrait Gallery and The U. S. Supreme Court,   The deep, well saturated colors printed on watercolor paper, retain the minute detail and subtleties of the original paintings.

MY WORK IS BEST DEFINED AS WHIMSICAL SURREALISM.  IT HAS BEEN OFTEN DESCRIBED AS “HIGHLY IDIOSYNCRATIC, FUNNY, CHALLENGING AND PRECISE, AND A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE IN PRINT.”

RICH AND INVENTIVE IMAGES OF ARCHITECTURAL AND GEOMETRIC FORMS ARE PLACED IN ABSURD JUXTAPOSITION TO AN ORCHESTRA OF VISUAL DELIGHTS, ALL DESIGNED TO BOTH PLEASE AND ENTERTAIN.

VIGNETTES FROM OLD MASTERS PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES, PAINTBRUSHES, PALETTES, AND PAINTINGS INSIDE OF PAINTINGS, BICYCLES AND FISH ARE SOMETIMES ACCOMPANIED BY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND KEYBOARDS.

INSPIRATION MAY BE FOUND IN THE MOST UNLIKELY OF PLACES AND TIMES.  PARTICULAR INFLUENCES INCLUDE THE WORKS OF PICASSO, MATISSE, MOORE AND LEGER.

COLUMNS IN COMPLEX CORRIDORS OF ARCHITECTURAL SPACES WEAVE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LANDSCAPES AS AN OCCASSIONAL SATURN ON A STRING DANCES OVER HEAD.

THE STRUCTURE AND WELL DEFINED EDGES OF MY PAINTINGS ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF AN EXACT PEN AND INK AND PRINTMAKING BACKROUND.  A STEADY HAND AND THE SMALLEST OF BRUSHES FACILITATE THE PRECISION WITH WHICH THESE PAINTING ARE EXECUTED.

THERE IS A CERTAIN EXCITEMENT ABOUT SITTING IN FRONT OF A BLANK PIECE OF D’ARCHES WATERCOLOR PAPER.  THE EDGES ARE TAPED DOWN. FAVORITE PAINTBRUSHES AND PENCILS ARE PLACED TO THE SIDE.  THE PROCESS BEGINS AS IMAGINATION TAKES OVER. 

DRAWING BEGINS. ARCHITECTURAL LINES ARE DRAFTED FOLLOWED BY THE SUBJECT NARRATIVE AND MY ANTICIPATION OF A FINISHED WORK OF ART.  THROUGH THE USE OF ICONIC IMAGERY AND FLIPPED PERSPECTIVES SPACES APPEAR INSIDE-OUT AND OUTSIDE-IN. OFTEN, THE EYE IS GUIDED TO REST ON A BLACK AND WHITE FLOOR WHILE  INTERACTION WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER IS EXPERIENCED.

I EXPERIENCE DELIGHT FROM THE VISUAL REACTIONS OF PERSONS WHO, THROUGH REPEATED VIEWINGS, DISCOVER IMAGRY BOTH OBVIOUS AND HIDDEN.