THE ARTIST

Don Gardi has been painting and drawing prolifically since early childhood. During high school one of Don’s pastels paintings won the national Scholastic Arts awards contest winning the gold medal as one of the best in the nation. He was also granted  the Frances Larkin scholarship award in 1987.  After high school, Don attended The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and received a degree in Graphic Arts. He also won a first place gold medal and best in show for a pastel painting durning The Art institute of Pittsburgh’s student art show.

After graduating, Don worked in and managed various art departments as a commercial artist. During that time he did design work for many fortune 500 companies. Among those companies were: General Motors, ESPN, and the U.S. Olympic Committee during the 1996 Olympics. 

Don Gardi is an award winning artist and continues to develop and refine his distinctive artistic vocabulary and style,  He is also an active member of the Pastel Society of America.  Don ‘s work is part of both private and corporate collections. His work is represented by Gallerie Chiz, Pittsburgh Pa. and TrueNorth Cultural Artist Center, Sheffield Village Oh. He has also been part of many group exhibitions. Don Gardi’s paintings are based in an Abstract Expressive style that are spare yet evocative. However sometimes incorporating other styles as needed to express his vision for his work.  He works intuitively and freely and is aided by his experience and knowledge as well as his passion. He strives for both inner expression and honesty, the final result is tasteful and sophisticated.  

Artist Statement

My focus and ambition for my work is to explore the universal connections we all share.  Each subject has it's own soul it's own qualities that make it special. My paintings represent a metaphorical passage between the internal and the external, a stimulating examination by the viewer beyond the surface of what they see. My objective is to make the viewer go from one dimension to another. There is an effort on my part to convey deeper truth of what is beyond the physical world, beyond what appears to be a simple painting. I choose to explore this through my paintings. To capture the change of the seasons that are like notes to a song that keep changing. The fire of maples in autumn, the silence of snowfall in winter. Like the sunlight that shines, like the fragrance of the rose no single word can define. We are tuned to the sounds and visions that displays all creation. My goal is to express these profound universal experiences through my work. Each painting is an allegorical interpretation of the subjects I paint. I hope to allow the viewer if not for a moment to enter the painting and that of the interconnectedness that all mankind shares with each other with mother earth the universe and it's creator.