Darby Milbrath
Darby Milbrath
Born in Victoria, Canada, Milbraith received a diploma from the School of Contemporary Dancers in affiliation with The University of Winnipeg. Since turning to painting, she has been the subject of solo and group exhibitions at Projet Pangée, Montreal; Night Gallery, Los Angeles; and PM/AM, London.
Some painters may have tried their hand in design. Others take to the brush after walking the halls of a gallery, with a dream of seeing their own work hung alongside the artists they grew up admiring. For Darby Milbrath, it was dance and a background in perfumery that laid the foundations for a career in painting. And it's alchemy and choreography have informed Milbrath’s artistic practice ever since.
The mixing of colour on her easel is no different from how she once composed perfume blends and prepared herbal tinctures. Movement, theatrical elements such as light, costume, and set design have been wrapped up and repurposed into musical expressions on the canvas.
The act of writing and meditation is a requirement for Milbrath—two practices which prepare her for the acute resilience that the ritual of painting requires. Painters who practice a similar immersion in their surroundings—namely Paula Modersohn-Becker’s tree studies and Emily Carr’s paintings of Canadian forests—hold clout over the artist.
Some painters may have tried their hand in design. Others take to the brush after walking the halls of a gallery, with a dream of seeing their own work hung alongside the artists they grew up admiring. For Darby Milbrath, it was dance and a background in perfumery that laid the foundations for a career in painting. And it's alchemy and choreography have informed Milbrath’s artistic practice ever since.
The mixing of colour on her easel is no different from how she once composed perfume blends and prepared herbal tinctures. Movement, theatrical elements such as light, costume, and set design have been wrapped up and repurposed into musical expressions on the canvas.
The act of writing and meditation is a requirement for Milbrath—two practices which prepare her for the acute resilience that the ritual of painting requires. Painters who practice a similar immersion in their surroundings—namely Paula Modersohn-Becker’s tree studies and Emily Carr’s paintings of Canadian forests—hold clout over the artist.
Featured Work
Awakening
2023
Awakening
Darby Milbrath
2023
72" x 48"
Oil on canvas
