EnzArt is Donald G. Enz

   I was born and raised in Illinois. After graduating high school I joined the U.S. Navy and spent the next four years as a radio operator. After a tour of duty in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam, I was discharged. I spent a few months back in Illinois before moving to Pennsylvania. While in Pennsylvania I earned a B.S. ed. degree in English.

   During my time in Pennsylvania I began my art career by painting in oils. Several years later, while in Wisconsin, I returned to school and became very interested in pottery and clay. I switched my major from English to art and never looked back with regret.

   Eventually, I earned  M.A. and M.F.A. degrees in art. Today I primarily paint using acrylic paints and outline my subject matter in pen and ink. On occasion I also include watercolor paints to create a specific character or color to my graphic work. I have also worked with Indiana limestone and marble to create many sculptures. Each area of art expression helps me understand the world and myself.

   Presently I reside in Gilman, Illinois.

Artist Statement

   I produce two distinct styles of graphic art: abstract and comic. Each is produced to invoke emotions in the viewer. The abstract works challenge a viewer's sense of what is real. While many of the images are easily identified, especially in those pictures where I have returned to the painting with pen and ink and watercolor, the rest are illusionary. In these illusionary pieces images tend to fade in and out of the viewer's sight. With the use of metallic inks, these pictures change slightly as the light in a room varies, but the ultimate decision of image recognition depends on the viewer's strength of imagination.

    The comic pictures are cartoonish in character. Using pen and ink, I draw my people and background scenes in a whimsical style. Later, I fill in these drawings using bright colors to add character and contrast to my work. Being partially color blind for hues that are closely related exaggerates the color differences. If hues are too closely matched I cannot see a real distinction between them and have difficulty painting certain areas of the picture.

   My sculpture work is a combination of hard line and sensuous curves. While creating these pieces I am constantly viewing the objects from various angles to arrive at the most pleasing balance of line with shape. Generally, my sculptures are not representative of any world object, other than itself. I want the viewer to just enjoy the sculpture's shape and the patterns/shadows of lighting created by those shapes.