Dirk Dzimirsky

Dirk Dzimirsky
German Artist
Born: April 22,1969

Dirk Dzimirsky is a self taught artist. He never received art instruction from a teacher. At the age of 5 his brother Frank and him got interested in drawing. They would get anatomy and art instruction books to learn from. By the age of 12, Dirk and Frank were drawing anywhere from 50 to 300 pages a week. Dirk never wanted to be an artist. His dreams were to be a musician. He played bass in a rock band. The band was not going anywhere fast so he sold portraits to make ends meet. He first began selling his portraits at the age of 12. He finally gave up music to go in the direction of an art profession when it was clear his music was not going anywhere. Artists that inspire him are: Edward Hopper, Egon Schiele, and Richard Estes. He currently resides in Bocholt, Germany where he teaches at Kunstsalon.

Art and Media:

Mr. Dzimirsky is considered a hyperrealist/photorealist artist he likes to incorporate all types of media into his pieces. He enjoys making things work that should not go together. In interviews he states that he uses “media based on the mood he wants to create.” He likes to use photographs as his source while drawing. He would like to try draw from live models in the future. He portrays the true feeling that is captured in the photo but does not draw to perfection. He wants to portray the essence of the person by creating a feeling or attitude on paper. Drawing is prefered over painting when it comes to him. The layer upon layer of different media seems to be his motivator. He is more concerned with the feeling produced than the photorealism of the picture. He claims “beauty-media removes every sign of human race.” and that “ when art is true- than its beautiful.” He is not impressed by magazine girls or pinups, its the raw search for truth that he seems to gravitate toward. He wants the viewer to use all their senses to depict his final product. There is a sensuality in catching a person’s inner self by their outer posture or expression. It is a personal moment, so vulnerable. A piece is considered finished when the rough and worked out parts collide.

When drawing he prefers a Hahnemuhle Nostalgie Sketchbook or Canvas. He uses a mixture of graphite and charcoal as well a a white charcoal pencil to highlight. Most drawings take 30 to 80 hours a piece. While paintings take anywhere from 100-200 hours. His art is a mixture of tone and depth by using charcoal on a canvas. The way the graphite works as paint is a beautiful tool he has practiced to make the art come alive. He compares himself “to a watercolorist. Just as a watercolorist builds up paintings with glazes, I build it up with layers.”

In several articles this statement has been used to describe how we feel when we view his art. “He gives the opportunity to view what we normally wouldn’t see, you see truth no lies.” (2009 Drawing Magazine)

For Artist Website go to: www.dzimirsky.com

Content sourced from: www.dzirmirsky.com, 2009 Drawing magazine: Fall edition by: John A. Parks