E.A.S.T. (2010): New Work by David Zvanut
"2 and 3D Art in glass and metal, on canvas and board"
Event: E.A.S.T. Weekend #2: New Work by David Zvanut"
2 and 3D Art in glass and metal, on canvas and board"
Start Time:Saturday, November 21 at 10:00am
End Time:Sunday, November 22 at 5:00pm
Where: E.A.S.T. 2009 @ New East Gallery • Exhibit Space "C" on the map
David Zvanut
Winner of the 4th Annual Catholic Foundation Plaza Artists Competition
David Zvanut was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1957 to Frank and Katherine Zvanut, the last of five children. He later moved to St. Charles, Missouri and then to Tyler, Texas at the age of 11. The son of a dancer and a ceramic engineer, Zvanut grew up encouraged in his creativity and surrounded by the visual and performing arts, attending museums and concerts often.
Zvanut’s talent and passion for painting began in middle school and by high school he was winning small awards and selling paintings to his friends’ parents. Although he wanted to become a scientist or engineer, the art teacher at Zvanut’s high school encouraged him to pursue art in college and to attend East Texas State University (ETSU) in Commerce, Texas, where he had won a partial scholarship in a piano competition. He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in painting in 1979 and later returned to ETSU in 1984 to pursue a graduate degree. During this time he studied with Karl Umlauf, Gerard Huber, and Charles McGough, receiving his Master of Fine Arts in 1986.
In 1978, Zvanut married Bettina Rhae Barto and settled in Commerce, Texas, where they currently reside. Zvanut’s studio, which he built using lumber and hardware salvaged from another old house, is located on his property just 200 feet from his home. In 2006, Zvanut worked with the Texas A&M University at Commerce ceramics department to build a wood fired ceramic kiln near his studio for the ceramic students who operate it about four times a year.
Zvanut typically incorporates recycled or found objects into his artwork that were discarded because they were broken, marred, or considered useless or obsolete. He also utilizes various symbols, objects, colors, and shapes in such a way that the elements and the relationships between them load the artwork with meaning. While his own experiences unlock meanings, he relies on the viewers and their experiences to unlock their own significance. One of his main goals through his art is for the viewer to notice the beauty in the flawed surfaces and hopes that viewers will reconsider their attitudes about people, ideas, and items that tend to be discarded as defective, useless, or less than pure.
Zvanut’s latest work, “Music on Parade”, currently featured on The Catholic Foundation Art Wall in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, is a mural featuring the combined artistic traditions of painting, music notation, and stained glass. It was made possible by combining photographs of four of his acrylic paintings and two of his glass mosaics using a computer. The playful use of music notation imagery, sense of music and rhythm, and use of glass mosaic give the work the look of contemporary stained glass.
In addition to producing art, Zvanut runs a small sound production company, providing live sound, lights, and staging for community events and music shows around the area. He and his wife are also the co-founders and directors of Commerce Appreciates Recycling Efforts, a non-profit recycling promotion and drop-off center. From 1998-2001, he served as a board member of the North East Texas Symphony Association and is a former member of the Texas Fine Arts Association and the Texas Sculpture Association.
