Hello, Let me introduce myself as Daniel Albers who is an artist and a art educator that has a small business called Moonbeam Art and Press. I have two locations in Omaha, Nebraska where I have both art studio and gallery to show my creations and a studio in Scottsdale, Arizona at the Creative Center of Scottsdale located in Old Town that I also create and display my art. Both places have special meaning for me that fuels my passion in the arts.
The three major mediums that I create in is drawing, oil painting and the letterpress (printing). I label myself both an artist and a Art Educator with a BFA in Design from the University of Nebraska. I have enjoyed teaching art to all ages that feeds into my creativity. My style is realism using various mediums and techniques with influences in both graphic design and advertising that falls into the category of Pop Art. Several artists that influence my passion is Kent Bellows, Alan Garns, Andy Warhol and Wayne Thiebaud.
My latest endeavor was learning how to use the traditional printing press in what they define as letterpress "printing from a hard raised image under pressure, using viscous ink." Don't let this simple term mislead you, there is a huge learning curve through trial and error and somewhat frustration to achieve a perfect print. It is a craft in where you never stop learning... but really that describes any craft in art. Over the years I have collected a vast collection of print plates that date back over 100 years to more current ending in the around the1960s. Many of these print plates require restoration in which I enjoy restoring and printing and bringing back to life. I like discovering new print plates as well as font. A print plate typically have both images and type for example a Coca-Cola advertisement plate or "cut" from the 1950s. When designing a project the image and print are combined to create the final piece.
I have also collected wood and lead type fonts of various font styles and sizes. When I design a project I use both images and type to create a unique art print in multiples with a limited number of copies that can be collected and displayed. My ultimate goal is to create art that people can enjoy and want to collect and display.
Added to what I have shared above on my art is to inspire, connect, and of course be meaningful through it's creation that becomes a connection from artist to viewer. I strive whether a drawing, painting or letterpress to connect the past to the present. My philosophy is that art should be shared with others as a example of expression that viewers connect to whether positive or negative. I value input from viewers whether positive or negative. Whether you purchase an art piece as a collector or just purchasing it for display my goal through it's journey is that it retains and increases both in meaning and value.
My approach to art is to a connection that is communicated through the artist through a passion and interpretation using medium, technique and style that connects to the senses of the view in a personal and emotional moment that is unpredictable yet stimulating at any moment and yet be timeless in that it has the power that awakens the viewer through a one-to-one relation. Art for me is an act of passion and survival through expressing and achieving a connection.
Organizations I belong to are the Arizona Art League, British Printing Society, APA Printing society, Scottsdale Historical Society, and the Hollywood Historical Society. All these organizations I feel are beneficial in that they contribute to my beliefs and creativity.
Thanks,
Daniel Albers
