Dave Gustlin - Painter

Gustlin has been drawing since he can remember. His first exhibit, at the young age of 8, was a display of his work at his sister’s high school.

Later, he earned a Bachelors Degree in Design from San Jose State University where he studied both representational art in the illustration program and the post-modern, abstract art of the painting department.

After a successful career in designing and creating the images for video games, he became a teacher at San Jose State University, instructing students how to design two- and three-D graphics. While still teaching at the university, he is expanding his painting career.

Equus (the Latin word for horse) has become his muse with particular expression and paintings of cowboys in their multiple actions. Gustlin is fascinated by this centuries old form of animal husbandry, still practiced by local California cowboys who are juxtaposed against the backdrop of the high tech Silicon Valley.

Gustlin’s paintings of cattle roundups and brandings bring the horse’s anatomy to the forefront, along with all the trappings and gear of the cowboy traditions. He frequently places the subjects in a background of the majestic California foothills.

His paintings, created with acrylic paint, are soundly grounded in realism, but the loose handling of the brush strokes and the abstraction of some elements, draw the viewer into the painting and brings the horse and cowboy into action.

Education

Dec 1995

San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Bachelor of Science degree, Graphic Design

Emphasis: Illustration

Honors: Awarded Department scholarship, GPA 3.6

Dec 1990

San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Bachelor of Science degree, Business Administration

Concentration: Accounting

Honors: Dean’s List, GPA 3.0

Galleries