David Berkowitz Chicago has gained popularity with his paintings, but that is not what he seeks when he starts to put colors on the canvas. Painting is like time travel for him, allowing Berkowitz to go back and remember some of his favorite aspects of childhood. He wants his paintings to preserve his greatest memories and allow him to always look back on his upbringing.
When he was young, David Berkowitz Chicago attended the School of the Art Institute (SAIC). In 1969, Berkowitz discovered his affection for painting after a severe injury to his spine while playing football. While in recovery, he started to produce artwork. This is when he first felt the burning desire to create art.
“I just knew I had to draw something,” he says. “On a canvas, on a sheet of notebook paper, anywhere. From that point on, I was obsessed with art.”
After that in 1970, David Berkowitz Chicago joined the artist’s group, “Village.” Upon joining the group, it was obvious that he was different. Because of his unusual style, his artwork is unmistakable.
David Berkowitz Chicago explores ideas from his own youth and the current state of our natural environment. The urban community and modern abstraction are tied together in his one-of-a-kind mixed-media collages.
The places David remembers from his youth still inspire him. The ethereal landscape from his memory such as hazy banks, traveling up the legendary river, shacks on the floodplain, and the barns where he felt safe as a youngster. The hen houses where he talked with chickens as a young boy are also included in his distinctive paintings.
“I think you know when you see some of my work,” he says. “It stands out and it’s unique and it’s me and I love that. That’s what all art should be, very unique to each individual creator.”
David Berkowitz Chicago paints the blissful moments in life. Whether he uses pastels or oil, the pieces that are produced are surreal. He takes everyday life and turns the landscape into something triumphant.
The farmland is something David Berkowitz Chicago is always surveying for inspiration. He grew up in these vast landscapes. Because of this, the plants and foliage appear in his works, and because of the open fields he grew up in, wild horses are often featured in his works. The wild horses are meant to watch over the sky and the farm. The wild horses also symbolize something spiritual for him and they have become the hallmark of his work.
David Berkowitz Chicago creates a connection between pop culture and grandeur. In the last few decades, he participated in more than three group exhibitions across Europe, North America, and Canada. Having about forty independent showings.
In the beginning, David Berkowitz Chicago’s paintings were not as popular. In retrospect. This is something to be grateful for. If he had sold his earlier paintings, he might not have been able to refine his artform. Now, he works on paintings that have already been sold which gives him more motivation.
With his paintings held in such high regard, David Berkowitz Chicago now sells his pieces at high prices. He wishes he could make them more affordable and accessible, but he also appreciates that his art has found such a dedicated following. He even received a lifetime reward from the Chicago Gallery of Artists for the 50th anniversary of his existence as an artist.
“It just feels good to be appreciated,” Berkowitz explains. “That’s not what I got into this for, but to be able to express my passion for the craft and have people find value in it as well, it’s just an amazing added bonus that I’m very grateful for.”
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