We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dave Weisberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dave below.

Dave , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Still learning. Learning the new, refining the familiar and hopefully continuing to experiment with techniques and tools unfamiliar or previously intimidating. As a kid I enjoyed drawing, crafts, playing with clay and overall just making a mess, but working with my hands and creating something from almost nothing was always a favorite way to spend my time. Receiving a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with a drawing concentration was almost an obvious step for me as I couldn’t envision myself. studying much else. I used that time in school to also explore different media and began painting large acrylic abstract pieces as well as wildly intricate pen & ink drawings. Shortly after, I sold my first piece in a gallery. A satisfying experience without question but also a defining moment that helped discourage the doubt that so many artists experience. For years I continued to paint with acrylics, mainly due to my impatience with drying times, but I gradually started learning graphic design and calligraphy, pursued creative writing and commission works. Most recently, all my work has been digital. Much of it referencing my early abstract acrylic work and style while trying to still capture the textures and gestures I would find working on large scale panels with actual medium. A small portion of my newest pieces bring figure and landscape into the frame with a slightly impressionistic style. Touching on a few fan favorite pop culture icons or personally favorite cinematic moments has been a really fun deviation from the usual for me. Being excited with my results and seeing others excited about my results are yet more moments that help continue to encourage me to make what I am ultimately inspired to create.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

While I probably touched on this in my last answer; but I have been a Freelance Artist since college. While getting my Art degree, I was also selling work and receiving commission requests from friends and otherwise. Despite having a painting professor that was less than encouraging about my pursuits in studio art, I learned that I needn’t concern myself with the opinions of another as months later I had sold my first couple public pieces in a downtown gallery. After that I continued to paint and create as much art as I could. Learning about new tools, messing around with new mediums and textures. Finding fun and resourceful techniques to make stuff I hadn’t before. And that’s continued for the last 20 years give or take.

I’d say that I’m most proud of being able to simply call myself an artist. An ability, like most, that comes from an obsessive practice. While it’s an obvious form of expression it’s also a form of meditation of sorts. A way for me to slow down, reconnect and focus. We know that art in all forms connects people all across the world and as an artist, if you are able to connect with even just a few people from something you made from your own two hands, I’d say that’s special. I feel privileged to be able to “be creative” and have fun making as much art as I can. I’m always eager for new projects and concepts that might have not yet been considered and finding collaborative opportunities with people and processes unknown.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There are so many. Tons of which I’m still I’m not familiar with, so please feel free to send me some tips as well @abstractink82. Actually, I will say that I wish I had been aware of the various public domain digital image archives far sooner than I was because there seems to be an almost endless assortment of images that can be used freely to manipulate, inspire or integrate into your artwork in some potentially unique ways. It’s a little overwhelming because there are tons of photos to sort through but you can find some gems in there.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think a lot of artists can relate to this. Do not undervalue your value. For a long time I had difficulty determining a monetary amount that was fair for the value, time and experience that I provided and invested into the work. I wound up selling for self short. a few times and realized I needed to change the equation. Its much more than throwing some paint down, drawing a few crazy lines and the cost of materials. There are thousands of hours of investigation and experience that are used to inform and enable the development of the work. I had a professor that used to say. “If you do something well, never do it for free”.

Contact Info:

• Website: abstractink82.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abstractink82
• Other: https://society6.com/abstractink82 https://cottonbureau.com/people/dave-weisberg