Artist Statements

Dan Levin

Dan Levin was born in Los Angeles, raised near New York City, and received a degree in fine art and

graphic design after returning to California in the 1980s. He has been exhibiting his assemblage art in

Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Francisco for over 25 years – with pieces in collections from New York

to New Zealand.

In his work, Levin typically integrates man-made artifacts that have been discarded as no longer viable.

However, for “Natural Anthem” he experiments primarily with materials extracted from beaches, streams,

mountains and deserts. Whether commenting on the mysteries of the natural world or simply producing an

abstract that is aesthetically pleasing, the artist is driven to orchestrate relationships between objects that

may never have been in close proximity – forming a singular composition or metaphorical device.

Having spent several years living in Australia and Europe, the artist now resides in Santa Barbara with his

wife Anne, where he fabricates assemblages and continues his walkabout.

Blakeney Stanford

Blakeney Sanford, a Santa Barbara, California based contemporary artist, is quickly gaining international

recognition for her innovative sculptures and paintings created with acrylic, steel and epoxy resin. Common

themes in her work include nature, natural and industrial materials, human form, and color and light. Her

current painting series, the Shark Park Series, has become an iconic representation of her work. Painted on

panel and overlaid with gold leaf, these pieces depict silhouettes of colorful female figures. This contemporary

series, ranging in size from 4”x6” to 4’x7’, can be hung individually, or in a group and its vibrant colors,

reflective qualities, and figures are playful as well as thought provoking. Her sculptures, which incorporate

similar qualities, are built in an array of dimensions and constructed of steel and her signature epoxy

resin panels, which she pours in her studio. Blakeney’s work has been shown in galleries and museums

nationally, and she is currently collaborating with one of the surf world’s most prominent brands: ROXY/

Quiksilver, Inc. She continues to work on commissioned pieces as well as her own work from her studio

just north of Santa Barbara.

Casey Underwood

Santa Barbara local, Casey Underwood, is an ambitious, emerging artist. During the past four years, Casey

has began to make his way into the Santa Barbara art scene through many small exhibitions and shows

featuring his nature inspired paintings. Using mixed media to create seascapes, Casey has discovered a

medium that he not only loves, but that is uniquely him. In his desire to capture the vastness of the sky in all

it’s glories of light and in the elegance of the sea, his hope is that the viewer will not only be aesthetically

pleased, but be able to see a landscape painting through new eyes. Casey credits his inspiration to the

simple colors of Mark Rothko, the skies of Gustave Courbet and the minimalism of Wolfgang Bloch, who

Casey was fortunate to have been in contact with. While pursuing his bachelors in Art at Westmont College,

Casey is excited to continue his creative expression, and to see where art will take him in his life.