A Stab in the Dark – Painter Jarid del Deo

Jarid del Deo lives and works in Maine. His oil paintings utilize the New England landscape as a tested vehicle for investigating color, shape and composition. Del Deo prefers a long contemplative study of his surroundings, plucking out details that best describe a place. After completing his BFA in painting and printmaking at the University of New Hampshire, del Deo spent over a decade working in the performing arts in the Pacific Northwest and Europe. In 2012 he settled in Maine and turned his focus back to painting. Del Deo exhibits regularly and has work in private collections throughout North America and Europe. "My responsibility toward composition, shape, color and value is inescapable but l am comfortable exchanging what I consider visual accuracy for something that is more spiritually expressive. I do have a viewer in mind when I paint and I want to make work that is relatable. A painting could be considered successful if it causes the viewer to reflect on their own relationship to the environment. I attempt to facilitate this by describing the atmosphere and heightened specialness of a place. I will often use a dramatic light source, compositional framing, or layered space to lead the viewer into the painting. –Jarid del Deo