• THE FUTURE MEMORIES OF GHOST TOWN THE FUTURE MEMORIES OF GHOST TOWN
• THE FUTURE MEMORIES OF A GHOST TOWN (DETAILS) THE FUTURE MEMORIES OF A GHOST TOWN (DETAILS)
• SAILING AWAY THE EMIGRANT SAILING AWAY THE EMIGRANT
• SPACE MATTERS A STATEMENT (DETAILS) SPACE MATTERS A STATEMENT (DETAILS)
• ENTANGLED DICK AND DORA ENTANGLED DICK AND DORA
• WHEN PEGASUS CRIED WHEN PEGASUS CRIED
• CHILDHOOD'S RETREAT CHILDHOOD'S RETREAT
• CLAIR DE LUNE CLAIR DE LUNE
• SPACE MATTERS : A STATEMENT SPACE MATTERS : A STATEMENT
• BEFORE VESPERS (homage to Ion Theodorescu Sion) BEFORE VESPERS (homage to Ion Theodorescu Sion)
• ENDLESS GLAMOUR (homage to unknown artist) ENDLESS GLAMOUR (homage to unknown artist)
• THE POPPY STALK THE POPPY STALK
•  

 

 

 

 

CÃTÃLIN DOMNIŢEANU

Calgary, ALBERTA

CANADA

Tel. : (403) 800-4790

Email : catalind@solarstains.ca

Site : http://www.solarstains.ca/

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHY   

 

Catalin Domniteanu is a fine artist with a long, exploratory relation with stained glass. His artistic formulation is rooted in the praise for light’s authority over all that surrounds us, mundane or extraordinary. Stained glass has captivated him since his student years, taking him on a long journey that eventually turned into an artistic career marked by kaleidoscopic experiences and a mosaic of disciplines.

 

Born in an industrial city dominated by a metallurgic factory and placed at the confluence of the Danube River and its largest affluent, the Siret River (one monstrous presence and two impetuous flows), he acquired his academic education in mechanical engineering at the Lower Danube University of Galati, in his hometown, while working as a railway switches and optical signalization technician for the National Railways Company. In the early ’90s, during his student years, Catalin grew interested in stained glass by observing them in old churches and institutions. He noticed that filtered light, either simple colors or assembled in sophisticated patterns, can be used to tell stories, warn, and transmit orders by manipulating light frequencies and intensities, and shaping the flow of light into puzzles, which are then decoded by the observer.

 

It is 1995. There are no courses and no books about stained glass in town, and no other artists to learn from. Glass sheets are not available for retail, not in his hometown, not in the Buzau County (famous for its glass industry and Gallé Lamps), and not in the capital. However, through experimentation and making own tools (extrusion dies), Catalin became skillful in the lead came method. Today, he considers this part of his journey as a determining factor of his later approach to technical boundaries and style of choice.

 

In the following years, Catalin continued to improve his technique while working in a low-ceiling cellar in the core of the old town. He did new projects and even some restoration work. He experimented with glass painting and etching. Before immigrating to Canada, he graduated from a painting program at the Lower Danube Cultural Centre.

 

Shortly after his arrival to Calgary in 2004, Catalin worked for a stained glass company located in the outskirts of the vibrant Kensington district called Tiffany House, where he enthusiastically discovered the abundance of glass colors, transparencies, and textures. He also learned the Tiffany method, which he continues to appreciate and employ in his artwork.

 

He pursued the path of an engineering career for a while but continued engaging in stained glass restoration work, and in 2015, he got the opportunity to explore his life-long passion for stained glass. Equipped with freedom of expression, Catalin made a number of projects showcasing the amplitude of his artistic philosophy and the caliber of his technique.

 

Among those projects, there were two architectural windows inspired by Romanian traditions and culture, and three sculptural stained glass works. One of them investigates cosmology and quantum mechanics, and it was displayed at the Rothney Astronomical Observatory of the University of Calgary (right after the LIGO observatory announced the first detection of gravity waves ever, a hundred of years after the release of the General Relativity Theory of Albert Einstein). Another of these works explores the topic of emigration with an intimate and very personal interpretation of the never-ending transition process. The third work explores the overwhelming feeling of modern North-American urban architecture.

 

Catalin continues to explore new artistic dimensions while investigating the meanings of science, philosophy, and society, which are at the core of his narrative, in Calgary, Alberta. 

 

 

 

ARTIST STATEMENT  

 

Catalin Domniteanu’s artistic formulation is rooted into the praise for light’s dominance over all that surrounds us, mundane or extraordinary. In defining his artistic philosophy, he realizes that a considerable influence comes from appreciating that stained glass has been exquisitely exploited for its narrative and decorative competence. Yet, he believes that stained glass possesses still an unused artistic potential in modern architecture.

 

This personal commitment stimulates his artistic approach, in which uninhibited concept design coalesces with technological augmentation to cheerfully cultivate the following three pillars of his artistic philosophy and creativity:

 

An invigorating departure from the bi-dimensional amplitude of traditional stained glass.

 

A magnetizing employment of light's flexibility.

 

A provocative alteration of static imagery opting to enable live dialogues with viewers. 

 

Catalin’s work confides in inter-disciplinary artistic fecundity. He willfully seeks eclectic arrangements, which carefully integrated into the traditional making process empower centuries-old stained glass expressivity with new 3D+ virtues.

 

 

 

EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS  

 

2000-2003 Lower Danube Cultural Centre of Galati, Galati, Romania, Painting Course, Certificate.

 

2001–2002 Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest, Romania, Marketing Course, Diploma.

 

1989-1995 Lower Danube University of Galati, Galati, Romania, Mechanical Engineering Diploma.

 

 

 

WORK COMPLETED

 

The Future Memories of a Ghost Town (Glass/metal sculpture; 48” H x 33” W x 2.5” D)

 

Sailing Away: the Emigrant (Glass/metal bas-relief; 36” H x 60” W x 6” D)

 

Space Matters: a Statement (Glass/metal sculpture; 42” H x 32” W x 4.5” D)

 

Clair de Lune (Mixed media stained glass; 36” H x 15” W x 2” D)

 

Childhood's Retreat (Mixed media stained glass; 36” H x 15” W x 2” D)

 

Entangled Dick and Dora (Mixed media stained glass; 36” H x 15” W x 2” D)

 

When Pegasus Cried (Mixed media stained glass; 36” H x 15” W x 2” D)

 

Before Vespers (Traditional stained glass; 74.4” H x 57” W)

 

The Poppy Stalk (Mixed media stained glass; 74.4” H x 18.3” W)

 

Endless Glamour (Traditional stained glass; 74.4” H x 57” W)

 

 

 

EXHIBITION HISTORY

 

2018

 

SCA’s International Open Juried Online Exhibition. The Society of Canadian Artists Toronto, Canada (15 Mar. – 15 June).

 

 

2017

 

“Diaspora” Juried, The Alberta Society of Artists, Calgary, Canada.

 

In the Loop, Peter the Aleut Orthodox Church, Calgary, Canada.

 

“Celebration of Art”, Dalhousie Community Centre, Calgary, Canada.

 

SCA’s International Open Juried Online Exhibition. The Society of Canadian Artists Toronto, Canada.

 

 

2016

 

Guest Artist, Rothney Astronomical Observatory, U of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.

 

“illuminArt” Juried Art Show, Rock Pointe Church, Bearspaw, Canada.

 

 

 

AWARDS

 

2018

 

Finalist, SCA’s International Open Juried Online, The Society of Canadian Artists, Toronto, Canada (pending winner jurization).

 

 

2017

 

"All Water" Gallery Choice Award, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Annapolis, USA.

 

"All Botanical" Gallery Choice Award, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Annapolis, USA.

 

Finalist, SCA’s International Open Juried Online, The Society of Canadian Artists, Toronto, Canada.

 

 

 

PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

 

2018

 

“Axis Libri” Magazine. VA Urechia Public Library, Galati, Galati, Romania. Article by Corneliu Stoica.

 

 

2017

 

Biennial Art Book, Mondial Art Academia, France.

 

“Scoala Galateana” Magazine, Casa Corpului Didactic, Galati, Galati, Romania. Article by Corneliu Stoica.

 

 

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

2018

 

Alberta Society of Artists (ASA), AB, Canada, Juried Member.

 

 

2017

 

The Glass Art Association of Canada (GAAC), BC, Canada. Member.

 

Mondial Art Academia, France. “Chevalier Académicien”

 

 

2012

 

APEGA, Alberta, Canada. Member.

 

 

 

VOLUNTEERED WORK

 

Donations

 

2017  

 

“Childhood's Retreat” - West Dalhousie School

 

“Clair de Lune” - Dalhousie School

 

“Entangled Dick and Dora” - St Dominic School

 

“When Pegasus Cried” - HD Cartwright School

 

 

 

POSITIONS

 

2015

 

pres. Solar Stains Engineered Art, Fine artist/Manager, Calgary, Canada.

 

 

2007–2015

 

Nysan/Evans Consoles/S&S, Engineer/Designer/PM, Calgary, Canada.

 

 

2004-2010

 

Tiffany House, Stained Glass Artist/Restorer, Calgary, Canada.

 

 

1995-2003

 

Atelier Domnita Ana, Freelance stained glass artist, Galati, Galati, Romania.

 

 

Metchim/Romanian Railways NC, Engineer/Designer, Galati, Galati, Romania.