Rich in colors and movement, Boulder artist, Dvora Kanegis’s work projects feeling, passion and emotion, whether it’s a steamy representation of the Tango, a dreamlike landscape, or a wild Peruvian carnival scene.

Both a tango dancer and a tango painter, Dvora says she escapes to another dimension of awareness when she dances the tango. The music stirs her imagination and forms the basis for her impressionistic interpretations of the dance on canvas.

Originally from Teaneck, New Jersey, Dvora has been a Colorado resident for nearly 35 years. She has painted since she was a child. Although painting has always been Dvora’s, “first love,” she once owned a jewelry store-art gallery in Boulder, where she designed jewelry and exhibited art. She still designs jewelry in addition to painting.

Dvora received her undergraduate training in art at Skidmore College and did graduate work at Yale University. She received scholarships and earned degrees with honors. She then continued her art studies with well known artist and instructor Knox Martin in New York City and with other instructors at Columbia University.

Her favorite subject matter includes dancers, sensuous nudes and dreamscapes.

Describing her dance-painting experiences, Dvora says, “ When I travel to Buenos Aires and go to milangas (venues where the tango is danced), I take my black and red shoes and my drawing pad. I dance until my feet hurt, then I draw into the magic hours when the dance floor thins and the dancers float about as if in another world. I draw very quickly without looking at the paper. The lines flow from my hand, directed by my eyes following the dancers, and from my body still warm from dance. “

When she works in her studio, Dvora begins by spending time drawing, while listening to Tango music. Then she dances to arouse her feelings and imagination. Ultimately she infuses her dance experience into her paintings.

Dvora describes her paintings as “...improvisational dances of color created with unconventional combinations of materials. " She says, “I enjoy pressing rose petals, faux stones, or lace into thick textured gesso on paper or canvas, then painting with watercolor, acrylic, oil pastel and oil stick.” She works in opaque and transparent layers, increasing the depth and texture in the process to create her dreamlike spaces.

She says her paintings, “...celebrate the passion and beauty of life. I love color and I express the life force through the movement and colors in my paintings.” Dvora says she likes drawing as well as painting and uses both in her work. She explains her approach to paintings as, “...experiential, rather than planned.” But she does, “...start with a general idea of what I am going to do.” Her paintings reflect, “What’s going on with me at the time and how I respond to the music. I just start painting and it’s a journey. I don’t know where it’s going so there are surprises for me. My paintings also leave some things unsaid, so viewers can interpret my work with their own meanings. “

Regarding her subject matter, Dvora says,“ I mainly, paint people, but every now and then I’ll do a landscape. Her passion, however, lies with people and their actions or interactions - which she emphasizes in her paintings.

Many of her paintings are inspired by the Tango. Dvora believes, “...the Tango expresses the passion of life and the connections between people.  At the milangos in Argentina, people are milling around or sitting around talking or dancing - social interactions which I like to sketch as references for future paintings.“

She does line drawings of the dancers as they pass by her on the dance floor. ”I trace their movements very quickly. Then when I am back in my studio, I select my best sketches, pin a bunch on the wall and use them for ideas.” She also also watches tango videos in her studio for inspiration. ”I paint very fast while watching Tango videos. Sometimes I put music on and dance, then I feel the movement and paint interpreting my own feelings of the dance.”

In addition to her painting career, Dvora also teaches painting and drawing in her Boulder studio. She considers herself a coach who,
“... helps people find the creativity in themselves.”

Dvora’s paintings range in size from small 7’’ x 9” series to paintings as large 52” x   62” or larger. Prices range from $32 for prints to $4,500 for large works.

She sells her paintings through individual shows in the Boulder area and through some galleries out of state. She also shows her work at special events held at the Spice of Life Event Center in Boulder, which include art and tango performances. Dvora’s work can also be seen in her studio, during Boulder ‘s Open Studios weekends.

Dvora’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous one person and group shows in galleries and museums throughout the United States. Locally, her work hangs in permanent collections at The University of Colorado, Boulder Community Hospital, Healthworks Inc, Bravin Architecture, Inc. and in many other public and private collections. She received special recognition when her work was featured by the International Cable Television Channel in conjunction with an international campaign on breast cancer awareness in 1999.

For more information, visit Dvora’s website at:
www.tangoartist.com

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