ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Dave Dilli

• Tell us a little bit about your shoppe.  My shop is full of landscape photography that I have taken in various places around the desert southwest. I work hard to capture the mood and vibrancy of the scene to provide a unique perspective on the beauty of the southwest. I try to capture the essence of what I felt when I took the image – from the softness of a sunset to the dramatic moods created by a desert monsoon storm. I will feel like I succeeded if I look at an image later and it brings back vivid memories of the scene.

• What is your favorite product in your shoppe and why?  That was a hard question because my favorite image changes based upon my mood! However, I would have to say the image I like the most is one of a storm over Mono lake. Mono lake is northeast of Yosemite in California, and has lots of salt formations, or Tufas. These Tufas can make interesting compositions in photographs as they rise out of the lake. I was lucky enough to be there when there was a sizable storm kicking up some waves and creating some dramatic clouds, and smoke from a small forest fire in the back ground. I think that image has a lot of drama.

• When you’re not taking breathtaking photographs, what are your hobbies?  My wife and I have three teenagers so most of our time is spent driving them around. When I am not doing that, I like to hike. However, for me my main hobby is photography so I am usually reading about photography, processing photos in Photoshop or taking new images.

• What do you like best about The Artisan Group?  The members of The Artisan Group are really active in both the group and also their own artwork and shops. There is a lot of camaraderie as everyone strives to improve on both their shops and art. It is really fun to see when various members get noticed by their local press and let us all know, or reach out for support on something with their shop. It is a fun group.

Dave will participate as a display participant in the upcoming luxury celebrity gift lounge on January 13-14, 2012 at the L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, in honor of the The 2012 Golden Globes Nominees and Presenters.