Painting is a gift I give to myself.

It is my time and I enjoy it immensely.  I love creating something unique and beautiful out of the ordinary. I love to work with my hands and play with shapes and colors on a canvas.

I am drawn to abstract art, as I can use my intuition to go to that space that I physically can’t see. It encourages me to have an open mind and let my imagination go free.

When I look at a blank canvas, I start with no preconceived outcome in mind, layering colors randomly.  I use charcoal and crayons to mark and scratch. I love to create depth illusions by mixing colors and explore different materials and techniques.  I am generally drawn to earth and subtle tones to create a mood.

Being an introvert, painting gives me the voice that allows me to express myself in a visual space through color, shape, line, texture and value. And while I do not intend to provide a specific narrative in my art, what I strive for is for the viewer to engage, to use his or her imagination and hopefully to stir some kind of emotion.



BIO

San Diego based artist; David Burakoff is a contemporary abstract painter.  A native of Mexico City, his paintings are influenced by his homeland and childhood memories. As a child Burakoff was raised in a household where his father and uncle were artists themselves. He grew up in a rich cultural environment defined by painting, drawing, music, literature and poetry.

Burakoff earned a BA degree in Industrial Design and followed with an MBA. He developed a successful home décor business designing and selling a line of iron and bronze tabletop sculptures. However, Burakoff’ s true art journey started working in pastels and oils.  His early work depicts a keen love for portraiture and human expression. His growth as an artist led him to explore acrylics and mixed media.  It is the richness and versatility of this media that helped him evolve into a successful abstract contemporary artist, defining his own distinctive abstract expressionist style. 

Burakoff draws inspiration from nature, landscapes, mountains and earthy ragged terrains. In his art, the mood, feeling and intuition of the artist are conveyed through expressive elements of light, texture and color. His work has a balanced neutrality, both in composition and tonality. Colors are layered over and over creating a rich tapestry that invites the eye to go into the painting. Often his art is finished with distinct color accents that bring contrast and intention, and organic lines that flow into loosely defined shapes.


EDUCATION
1980   Licenciature in Graphic and Industrial Design, Universidad Auronoma Metropolitana, Mexico City
1983    MBA, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

AWARDS
2021   Special Merit Award, 12th Abstracts Exhibition, LightSpace Time
2021   Special Recognition Award, Figurative Art Exhibition, LightSpace Time
2021   Honorable Mention, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
2021   Named as one of Artspan's Best Emerging Artists to Watch

EXHIBITIONS
2020   Finding your Voice in America Today, Kelwood Contemporary Art, Baton Rouge, LA
2021   12th Abstracts Exhibition, LightSpace Time
2021   Obsession, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
2021   Figurative Art Exhibition, LightSpace Time
2021   Tuxedo, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
2021   Art in the Time of Corona, Vol. 2, Dab Art Co. Gallery
2021   Full Circle, Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
2021   Artspan's Virtual Gallery Artists
2022   International San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild Online Spring Exhibition