Daryl Gortner

Humble but visually striking things inspire my photorealist paintings. Some of the objects that fascinate me are brightly colored coffee cups, lollipops wrapped in cellophane, a gumball machine, patent leather high heels, salt and pepper shakers, and marbles in a mason jar. I celebrate the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary objects in our everyday lives.

I am especially drawn to objects that both have intense color and offer the opportunity to paint reflections. Glass, metal, patent leather and plastic present fascinating mirrors of things around them. I get almost as much pleasure painting the ephemeral world of reflections as painting the still life objects themselves. If you look very carefully, you can almost see me in them.

In the paintings I enlarge the object many times beyond actual size so that you can lose yourself in a gumball, or the shine on the heel of a shoe. Because of the amount of detail in my work, a single painting can take up to a month.

Art is a universal way to communicate. It is the way I communicate with the world.

Daryl Gortner
Interviewed by Kelly Bertrando
July, 2015