David J. Fedeli

Largely a self-taught artist, David demonstrated natural artistic abilities at a very young age, and had his sketches publicly displayed from the early age of 10. Art has been the anchor in his life from his formative years into adulthood.

By the time David entered high school he was creating portraits and illustrations as a freelance “artist”, and he decided to focus on becoming a graphic designer. He knew that in order to be a truly effective graphic designer, he needed to understand how his designs would be reproduced. At 16 he took a job as an apprentice to a printing press operator, working afternoons and evenings. Within a few weeks he was operating the printing press on his own and producing work for sale.

When he entered college, David was working as a graphic designer and continued to learning to operate larger and more complex printing presses. He continued to focus his studies on Graphic Arts but for the first time, he also began taking courses in the Fine Arts. David  knew that he learned more quickly by “doing” with his hands vs. reading from a book. He eventually grew discontent with the slow pace of the classroom and abandoned school to continue working in the Graphic Arts industry full-time. Throughout this period, David’s fine art took on many forms as he was striving to find the right outlet for his creativity.

In 2000, David met and became friends with a well-known American oil painter, who provided him with the direction and focus he had been seeking for so long. David found his true passions were best expressed when working with oil paints, and he quickly focused all of his efforts to learning the skills required.

David studied one-on-one with the master oil painter for 4 years, until his passing. He reflects that during this time he learned more about the real world of art than he had learned in all his years of school. Under his master’s tutelage, he learned both the mental and physical skills required to properly approach working in oils. After his passing, David spent the next 5 years working to attain a level of skill that his strict mentor would have allowed, and in late 2008 he first began producing oil paintings for public display. David’s style reflects what he learned over the years – fundamentally conforming to the tenets of neo-romanticism and physically; sometimes described as “surreal”. As his journey continues, it is his fervent desire to bring ever more art lovers along for the ride.