Dana began her artistic training in a college in the Northern part of Israel, in 2005. At the same time she also took evening classes at the Academy of Figurative Art. After graduating in 2007 she traveled to Norway and studied with the Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum. In 2009 she moved to Florence, Italy and began the 3 year drawing and painting program at the Florence Academy of Art. She graduated in 2012. Currently Dana lives and paints in Israel. Her work can be found in private collections around the world. Zaltzman is completely committed to the depicting the visual quality of “being in time” that she finds in objects and light. She always paints from life to fully grasp the object she is rendering. Each piece is intentionally directed and lit in her studio. She is fascinated by what’s in front of her and gives the work the atmosphere she wants to work with the subject.
Objects worthy of painting are not always easy to find for Zaltzman. She will sometimes have to search through hundreds of pots to find one worthy enough to bring back to her studio. She’ll even scower the internet to find the perfect scale that fits her painting. Some of her works take close to three weeks to set up and a month to paint. Zaltzman’s paintings beautifully illustrate the passing of time. Her classical background and rigorous training gave her the ability to render quiet moments for the viewer’s contemplation.
Light is an important aspect of creating paintings for Zaltzman. The walls of her studio are intentionally painted a dark color so the light does not reflect off of the walls and that she as a viewer can fully focus on the light in the paintings. Zaltzman often hangs her paintings upside-down or uses a mirror to ensure that she accurately rendered the focus point and light in the piece. The playfulness between light and dark, heavy and soft, and the contrast of setting all make these paintings uniquely hers.
“There is a certain beauty here that the viewer needs me to show him.”