Artist Statement
Dahlstrom is an oil painter and photographer. He takes both digital and film photographs and then translates some into drawings and oil paintings. The aim of his work is to examine the dichotomy of reality and perception. Knowing who one is takes an understanding of the world around them and how one interprets that understanding. Dahlstrom always starts with the photograph using both digital and film, he examines the world around him. His unique vision lends itself to an abstract photography style. The artist then uses the photograph as his source material for his oil paintings. The process of painting taps into the subconscious. The artist relies on instinct to push past the photograph and record his feelings with
paint.
Nick Dahlstrom was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He studied art at Albion College in Albion Michigan. During that time he had the opportunity to study in Florence, Italy, as well as the surrounding Tuscany area through the SACI Program. While there he was inspired by the Renaissance Artist’s pursuit to understand perspective and build a culture with art. After school, in 2014, he moved to Durham, NC and calls it home today. Dahlstrom uses painting to examine the photographic image and redefine the border between realism and abstraction. In 2021, Dahlstrom was juried into the artist Co-Op space “Golden Belt Artists’ located in downtown Durham. It’s there that Dahlstrom builds community in the art scene by hosting events like weekly figure drawing sessions and more.