Egg Tempera Painter Extraordinaire
Wren
“Egg Tempera is paradoxical medium. It embodies the qualities of both fragility and permanence. The slow meditative process of layering the delicate brushstrokes which make up the surface of a tempera painting has the effect of imparting an intimate stillness to even the most active composition. I and other contemporary painters have found this medium of Byzantine icons to be equally well suited to secular urban scenes. These make up a large part of my work. In my New York paintings I’ve attempted to note not only the clutter and eccentricities of daily life but also that which is timeless and universal in a fast-paced environment.”
Doug Safranek received a B.A. in French from Boston College and an M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin where he studied with Robert Grilley, magic realist John Wilde, and art historian James Watrous who introduced him to egg tempera painting. His work is included in numerous private and public collections, including the Arkansas Art Center, the Norton Museum of Art, the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“The MET”). Over the course of his thirty-year career, he has received a number of awards and honors, including a Greenshield’s Grant, and the Gold Medal from the Allied Artists of America. Safranek is represented by ACA Galleries in New York City.