Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilana Dashe.
Hi Ilana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Art has always been a part of who I am. My mother is an artist and owned a gallery in Bogota, Colombia before we immigrated to the US. That said, I studied design in school and only ever made art for a client– working in design and advertising for over 10 years in Orange County. But my love for design was always on the print side. When I moved to Japan and got the chance to join a printmaking studio and learn the process firsthand is when I knew I found my passion. I began making art for myself, and not a client per se. Creativity took on a whole new meaning. From learning technique and process to hanging art in local cafes in Tokyo, my path as a fine artist began. And what better place to take inspiration for my art than Tokyo– a city vibrant with action, merged with beautiful organic foliage and greens. You can see a lot of this reflected in my work. I began to love the feedback and connections people made with my work when it is up on display. Cafe walls led to group shows, and group shows led to solo shows and eventually to National Museums in Japan.
Upon moving back to San Diego over a year and a half ago, I knew I would begin to share my love of art and my work with SD, my hometown. I am so thrilled to be showing in galleries in North County and downtown San Diego in the Spanish Village arts center.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Learning to be a printmaker in a foreign country, from an 86-year-old sensei, with a HUGE language barrier was a challenge to say the least! But art is a universal language, and I did a lot of observing and trial and error. Making lithographs (although not so prevalent today) is extremely process-oriented and leads to wonderful results. The one-hour each way train ride to the art studio weekly was well worth it to get the me time and creative time that I oh so need in my life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Colombian/American artist making hand-printed lithographs and silkscreen prints in San Diego.
My work thus far is greatly inspired by my experiences living as a foreigner in Tokyo. In order to fulfill my artistic passion in Japan, I learned printmaking techniques locally as a foreigner abroad.
I am most known for my clean, modern designs – often using patterns in my work and unusual color combinations and juxtapositions to represent an often-seen subject in a new way.
I am most proud of my go-getter attitude! For not taking no for an answer when I was rejected from many studios and not being willing to be taught because of language barriers and cultural differences. It took a lot of courage to keep showing up week after week to the studio while raising three kids abroad with no extended family to help and keep having to fight for my place in the studio being the only American, non-Japanese speaker. Time and resources were at a minimum for me, but I made art my priority.
My work sets me apart from others because I am not a painter, and my style is unique. I use limited color palettes and simplify shapes and designs to convey a message or theme or simply make a composition that challenges. I am an abstract artist with my own point of view and style that comes across clearly through ink on paper.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes! COVID was a challenge as an artist for me because the kind of art I make requires machinery that was in a studio that was closed due to the pandemic. I was forced to spend more time concepting at home for future work and finding alternate ways to keep my creativity alive. Personally, living far from the rest of my family and not being allowed to come home at leisure made me realize how necessary it is to be near the ones you love. Being trapped by distance and borders is not an easy situation and it makes one realize how important all the relationships in one’s lives truly are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dasheprints.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dasheprints @dasheprints
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dasheprints
