Darlene Altemeier Dobbs, who started at the art project while living in the Lamp Emergency Shelter
on San Julian Street is now Peer-Staff Studio Assistant and Peer Artist-in-Residence.
Rory is the staff artist in residence and coordinator of the project.
Darlene opens the art project each morning.
Below: Darlene painting a still life from life. You can see the vase, lilies, and objects on the table to the left of Darlene. Scroll down to see other images.
Notice Darlene's own drawings are behind the vase. Her oil includes further recapitulations, therefore, of her own work. Directly below is photo of her still life arrangement. Scroll down further to see full shot of her oil still life.
Lamp Art Project. BIO :
Darlene Altemeier Dobbs. Peer-Artist-in-Residence & Studio Assistant.
Age 48 Diagnosis : Schizoaffective disorder. Born 2.6.55 Alhambra, CA.
Graduated Workman High School City of Industry, CA.
“My grandmother was my major artistic influence.... ...the artist, Eva Cox, ....an oil painter, she did landscapes and still lifes, born Texas, came to California, in the 1940’s... She lived in Rosemead.... She died when I was about 15...
She, my grandmother, would take me with her with this group of artists she painted with to a large parcel of land. We would sketch out our compositon on the canvas and then go to her studio and paint them till they were finished.
My grandmother would show me how on her canvas.
Everybody painted the landscapes.
One younger artist lady, one day brought a portrait, put it upside down and painted a landscape over it.
I found an old statue of a deer with the paint peeling off of it and that is what I made my painting of.”
Below, Darlene now paints the inner city of Los Angeles, Dec. 10, 2003.
“I had my first nervous breakdown when I was about 8 years old. I became so scared I could not sleep for days. My aunt and uncle took me to the doctor who gave me medicine to sleep.
On my birthday, in 1991, I had my last nervous breakdown. I could hardly sleep or eat for three months till I weighed 115 pounds.
The Lamp Art Project is now my home. I am happier than ever.
I paint and open the studio and help others. I have painted 60 oil paintings just in the last year. They are all around me.”
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