UPCYCLED CONSCIOUSNESS
The Evolution of Dara DeBast - Artist
By Robin Bishop
f you ’ ve ever been curious about the inner workings of a particular artist ’ s mind or what they might dream about , you need look no further than artist Dara DeBast ’ s creations . Whether it is sculpture , oil painting , 3D paper creations , or other mixed media , Dara ’ s hands bring to life her own brand of abstract consciousness . “ I create what I dream , and I dream about my experiences and passions ,” explains Dara .
From a nomadic Army-family lifestyle Dara learned early that isolation breeds introspection which feeds a creative and abstract inner self . Always being the new kid gave rise to Dara ’ s awareness of reinvention as a means of survival . Dara confessed that her life has had its own brand of difficulty , but through good times and bad , Dara has survived and become a spiritual explorer . Her journey has fueled her interest in broken things . Her interest in broken things drew her to upcycling found objects . Upcycling found objects showed her how to reinvent the hand she ’ s dealt . “ My journey has taught me to embrace imperfections and fractures — to explore the intrinsic beauty of brokenness . Making something beautiful from the world ’ s cast-offs has healed me in so many ways ,” Dara shared .
When speaking with Dara , one wonders which came first , the philosophy or the art ? Was she born with her specific brand of creativity ? Did her love of upcycling drive her spiritual exploration and creative outcomes , or vice versa ? Dara has always been attracted to drawing , creating , and multi-sensory exploration . As an example , she shared that as a child she would draw on herself with those fruit-scented markers . You can smell it , can ’ t you ? I can picture young Dara , intrigued , and pleased by engaging more than just her hands and eyes in creating something fun and artistic . She needed to really experience it .
While mostly self-taught , she was gifted her grandfather ’ s collection of oil painting supplies and dove deeply into mastering the art of oil painting . After much angst and exploration , she feels she has accomplished this , but continues to explore her artistic identity . After meeting someone of significance in Montana , she was encouraged to relocate with him to Pullman to study art while he started grad school . It turned out to be a worthwhile endeavor . Relaunching her art career with a delayed Bachelor of Fine Arts degree , DeBast intimated the education was not the most valuable thing she left with . She apparently gained from school three major take-aways : 1 ) an exposure to a wide variety of mediums which she still works with today , 2 ) the confidence that she might have something unique to offer , as she sold almost everything in her graduating gallery show , and 3 ) the advice of a wellrespected adjunct who admonished her to not “ become an A-hole .” With new
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