"Born
in Melbourne Australia in 1964, Daryl Millard took an early interest
in fine art. He studied at the Caulfield Institute, but was discouraged
by the focus on modernism, and began to study with Takis Bitsas,
a world-renowned Byzantine iconographer and muralist. Millard and
Bitas then formed their own company, Fresco & Co., and established
a thriving business where they eventually had to turn work away.
In 1989 he and his wife, Vanessa, Immigrated to the United States,
living in Laguna Beach previous to moving to San Diego. Millard
found success in this country as well, creating murals for an impressive
Southern California clientele.
A professional
artist for over twenty years, Millard is inspired by the essential
beauty of the California landscape. Capturing nature's light and
the romance of the moment with pure color and lose brushwork, he
has mastered the early California Plein Air style of painting that
made its debut just after the turn of the 20th century. Borrowing
important stylistic elements form the French Impressionists, renowned
early California Plein Air artists, such as painters Edgar Payne,
Alfred Mitchell and Maurice Braun, set up their canvases out-of-doors
in order to capture the essence of the untamed landscapes of California.
Introduced in 1998 to the work of these early California Impressionists
of the 1920's, 30's and 40's while living in Laguna Beach, Millard
remembers that pivotal day as if it were yesterday, 'Everything
came together for me. It was a monumental shift in my thinking about
my art and in which direction I wanted to take it.' Subtle color
is his trademark. 'I love working with color harmonies; if you place
al the elements correctly you can capture a mood. There are artists
who are better technical painters than I am, but it's more than
technique. Each piece has to live on its own. I let my work speak
for me.' In recent years, he has expanded his subject matter to
include tropical islands such as those of Hawaii and the South Pacific.
His work resides in many of the finest collections of art being
assembled today.
After several
years of exhibiting his work in galleries throughout California
and Hawaii, Millard opened is own in 2001. Located in the beautiful
Cedros Design District in Solana Beach, California, the Daryl
Millard Gallery is known for its intimate and enjoyable atmosphere
providing all who enter with a rare and unique experience in the
quest for fine art."
