Artistic EVOLUTION

Daniel Bilmes’ first New York solo exhibition opens September 18 at Arcadia Contemporary with new work that shows his growth and development.

- JOHN O’HERN

Semyon Bilmes trained in the rigorous tradition of the Russian art academy later immigrated to New York and graduated from the Parsons School of Design. He dreamed of having a school that would teach drawing, painting, and composition—the fundamental skills needed to produce great art. He moved his family to Oregon and established the Ashland Academy of Art, now Atelier Maui in Hawaii.

His son, Daniel, was born in Oregon in 1989 and began studying with his father at the age of 8. Despite the influence of the international greats of the past, his father continues to be his greatest influence. “He is responsible for my foray into this career,” says Daniel.

“A lot of my childhood was spent in the art school,” he recalls, “constructing easels, remodeling the building. The school was based on the curriculum of the French and Russian academies. I enjoyed the discipline. It was a kind of visual arithmetic, developing a skill set. It was like my training in fencing—systematically improving through discipline over time. You learn to stretch your brain in different ways. My transition into the personal came later when I asked what do I want to do with this skill set?