I began to study art when I was 14 by copying paintings and sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and from library books about Renaissance and Baroque artists. By the time I was 16 I decided to become an artist. From as early as I can remember I was most interested in realist painting and I developed a passion for craft and drawing which I absorbed from all my trips to the Met.
I was not what you'd call a good student in art school. For that reason my style and approach to painting are a little idiosyncratic. In my "artist tool box" I've selectively chosen what works best for me for what I need to say in my own way. Painting is very personal for me and I look at it as a language and a way for me to communicate how I see the world. Part of my evolution as an artist has led me to continually expand my visual language and add new things to my "tool box." Although, doing new or different things can be scary, I find that it's essential for me if I am going to move forward.
California artist Larry Groff wrote in his blog "Painting Perceptions:"
I like his willingness to experiment with new approaches as seen in his more recent figure painting such as "Pearls Before Swine." His juxtaposition of the finely painted nude woman with piggy images in which inkjet photos were transferred directly onto the canvas all against an abstracted blue background invites a narrative interpretation. The direct almost confrontational gaze from the model to the viewer combined with her passive stance defies easy explanation but has a satisfying edginess that also has a visual staying power, unlike some more post-modern works where it seems more of a one-trick joke pony.
David Shevlino studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Art Students League in NY. He has a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania. He exhibits his work Nationally.