Today we’d like to introduce you to Dar Schafer
Hi Dar, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From the moment I picked up a paintbrush at the age of 13, I knew art would be a lifelong journey. What started as a passion soon became a profession when I sold my first painting at 16, marking the beginning of a successful career. Over the years, my work has gained recognition, allowing me to connect with collectors, galleries, and art lovers around the world. My love for creativity intertwines with my adventurous spirit, leading me to explore 28 countries and every U.S. state—except for Vermont and New Hampshire. Along the way, my dual citizenship from Canada has provided me with a unique perspective, shaping my artistic vision with diverse cultures, landscapes, and experiences. Today, as a thriving artist, I continue to share my journey through color and canvas, capturing the essence of the world as I’ve seen it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey of an artist is filled with passion, creativity, and growth, but it also comes with its share of struggles. Over the past three years, health issues have challenged me, making it harder to create at the pace I once did. Despite these setbacks, I am healthy now and remain deeply connected to my art. Having raised two wonderful sons, I am also focused on another important part of my life—travel with my husband and best friend and enjoying our grandchildren.
As I navigate this balance, I am excited to embark on a new chapter by re-opening a studio at Silver Street Studios. This fresh space represents renewal, resilience, and a return to my artistic roots. While the journey hasn’t always been easy, every challenge has shaped me, and I look forward to sharing new work, stories, and inspirations in this next phase of my career.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My Art explores themes of Western, Native American and as a history buff, historical battlefields. Inspired by nature & my Native American Ojibway heritage, I strive to create art that includes the elements of movement, emotion, fury and the energy of life.
I draw inspiration from the vast, rugged landscapes of the American West, capturing the essence of its natural beauty and spiritual significance in my paintings. Through bold brushstrokes, vibrant colors, and intricate textures, I feel they create a dynamic visual language that invites viewers to experience the emotional and spiritual dimensions of the land.
My goal is to create harmonious and balanced arrangements to guide the viewer’s gaze through my paintings. Each brushstroke and color choice in my abstract works are carefully considered, as they strive to evoke a sense of awe, mystery, and connection to the natural world influenced by my Native American roots.
For my Civil War series, I created several pieces dedicated to the important battles. During the summer of 2018, in between the many art shows that I was exhibiting in throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania & Michigan, I decided to make some stops at Gettysburg, Antietam, Fort Sumter, and Harpers Ferry to do some research. I walked the battlefields, studied through lectures, read books, tours, even meditated in the fields – spending a week or more at each stop. I wanted to feel it in my soul before putting it on canvas.
Once back in my home studio, I began painting the series. The battlefields had overwhelmed me with immense sorrow and even grief. While at Gettysburg, I found a cross that a soldier wore at Devils Den. It was a museum piece that was offered for sale. I was drawn to it. I actually wore that cross while painting the entire series as inspiration.
I feel like we have a tendency to romanticize wars, so I wanted to paint the series as abstract with some realism. I wanted to ground the paintings with existing landmarks at each battlefield. We’ve all seen the magnificent Civil War paintings in museums, so I felt that painting them as abstracts would more emulate the fierceness of war. I wanted people to look at the paintings and really feel the emotion – deep down. The confusion, choking smoke, blindly walking into battle, with in most cases no cover to hide behind. I decided to paint the soldiers as abstract so when you look upon them, you could put a face on it – Fathers, Brothers, Uncles, Friends, young and old – blindly fighting each other.
I’ve seen many visitors, both men & women, look at this series and literally cry. Military men tell me that I’ve captured exactly what it feels to go to battle. I wanted a reminder of the 620,000 lives lost.
While I used the same technique on paintings of the Alamo, Goliad and Battle of San Jacinto to capture the fury of those battles, I followed a different process with my Western Series. After extensive travel throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana I created art that reflects the magnificent stoic beauty of the landscapes, interposed with the dynamism of Native American buffalo hunts, cowboys on a cattle drive, and realistic rodeo images. As you can tell from these descriptions, I love art that reflects movement.
Every now and then I step out of my comfort zone and take on interesting challenges. One adventure was designing a Fireball for Richard Branson to display on Necker Island. I had to duplicate a 48″ diameter ball but in a reduced 36″ diameter size. Branson wanted specific elements on the 36″ fireball including Princess Di, Harry & William, Bono, The Rolling Stones logo, Nelson Mandela, flamingos, ibis, iguanas, coconut tree and a British Virgin Atlantic plane. I was pretty confident that I could do it. The blank fireball was so heavy that a forklift was needed to get it to my studio! We then designed a stand with rollers so I could move the fireball around.
Over the next week and 1/2, I think I redrew that design at least 3 or 4 times to get it right. Once I got the design completely drawn, I had to go back and trace all lines to make sure that when the welding cuts were made, the cuts wouldn’t intersect with anything else and cause the entire fireball to be ruined. Not an easy job!
After I finished my part of the project, it was taken back to the shop to make the cuts. As difficult as this was, I think it turned out really spectacular!! It’s fun knowing that it has a permanent home on the warm sands of Necker Island for guests to enjoy!
Having exhibited my works in numerous galleries and art shows across the country, I’ve been able to garner recognition and acclaim for my distinct artistic style and powerful visual storytelling. My paintings have resonated with art enthusiasts and collectors alike, earning myself a dedicated following.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories, despite the difficulties I faced growing up, was discovering my natural talent for painting in my high school advanced art classes. It was there that I first realized my unique ability to instinctively mix colors—just by looking at a shade, I knew exactly how to recreate it on my palette.
This gift set me apart, and my classmates took notice, eventually giving me the nickname “Michelangelo.” It was the first time I truly felt recognized for something special, and it gave me a sense of purpose and belonging. In those moments, surrounded by canvases and the scent of oil paints, I felt an energy that would ultimately shape the rest of my life. An energy that will never die.
Pricing:
- $500 – $8,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dartheartist.com
- Instagram: dartheartist.247
- Facebook: dartheartist
