I began doing artwork in early childhood.  My mother was an artist, regularly doing paintings, drawings, sculptures, and creative gardening.  She did a huge beautiful, colorful mural painting on our dining room wall of a Japanese Ming tree with a beautiful monarch butterfly. The painting covered the entire wall.  My vivid memories go back as far as early years in grade school, when doing a drawing assignment, to draw the metal silver water pitcher sitting on the schoolroom shelf.  As I had already loved drawing and painting with my mother, I was happy and fond of doing art assignments.  I remember the teacher loving my drawing and expressed such amazement at the accuracy of capturing the perfect reflection of the window and sunlight on the drawing of the pitcher. These kinds of responses continued through grade school, Junior High, and High School winning various contests, and putting my art in the teachers lounges.  Some teachers would put up the drawings across an entire wall, as in literature class, with about 14 of my portraits of famous writers that we were studying.  In Senior High my art teacher had me do set designs for Homecoming dances, and other special events.  I would do the set designs for the large murals across the entire cafeteria, then have a crew of volunteer students help fill in the colors needed as designated after I had sketched in the entire theme of the mural. It was work, but fun. I did several of these murals at that time of my life for the school as a volunteer.  I also did a series of murals that were in private homes, primarily with my mother as a team for very fine homes of our relatives.  We always did them as a gift, and asking for money was never any part of our main objective, but rather sharing the gift with them. I did a few more murals for really nice neighbors that lived in our neighborhood that just loved the one my mother had done in our dining room.  Again, it was a gift each time as loving, caring friends and neighbors.  Over the years I created some murals in other places for various requests.  I received scholarships, grants and awards to go to MCAD, the following year after HS graduation.  I completed my BFA there, and also my Associate in Arts Degree. I studied at the U of MN at one time also to become a surgical technician receiving straight A’s.  That job was a very technical one, in the Urology Cystoscopy department.  I also studied at a Bible School in Oregon when I was in a Christian youth ministry for a number of years.            

 

I have belonged to a number of art centers in the Twin Cities, such as Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts for 22 years, was also on the Fine Art Committee at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis for 12 years that had a great concern for the arts and community. I had regular art exhibits scheduled at the church with 26-30 paintings in their art gallery.  I have had one woman shows for many years that were in restaurants like Byerly’s in Golden Valley.  I love to work in series of eight paintings, such as a series I did of Madeline Island, beautiful winter scenes on very long walks alone, taking photos to paint from.  I have always loved windmills, and have also done a series of them in ink wash.  I even went to Holland to see the windmills and photograph them.  I have traveled to 15 countries in my life as a tourist and artist that have been wonderful life-changing experiences for me.                                                                

I sincerely LOVE my art, the process, the outcome, and the product. I believe it is solely a gift from God that is innate.  My mother never had any formal training or teaching in art.  It was a natural talent, as much as I believe it to be a natural talent in me, though I have had formal training.  I have had a few book publishings with my poetry.  Words can be like brush strokes, that create a window of experience, that is so satisfying to the human soul to express, whether it be with pictures, colors in your art, or words that express true meaning in a way that only you can say. "I LOVE MY ART".  It is the core of my inner castle, where truth and beauty dwell.  To do my art is to breathe in the fragrance of the most pure and precious rose of summer.                                

 

Sincerely, Larene St. Gabriel-Dargay               

Maiden name - Larene Faye Slonski