By Robin Van Der Vleuten
Dana Mesesan, an engineer by trade and aspiring artist, always had a creative vision to tell stories, through art. Growing up in Eastern Europe, there were not many options for buying arts and crafts. Like many young children, she resorted to creating crafts using materials around her home, “I remember making cards for my mom which I cut from magazines, and writing poems. I glued a big red stone on one card, from a costume brooch I bought for her.”
Dana wanted to attend art school during high school, but at that time, being an artist in Eastern Europe was not noted as a viable career choice. So, Dana drew and painted on her own, but never was able to take lessons. After high school, Dana went to engineering school and got her diploma, as a mechanical engineer, like most of her family. After graduation, she knew she wanted to leave the country, as Romania was experiencing hard times.
Dana, her husband, and their one-year-old son came to Canada, in 1996, with just two suitcases. Formerly a geologist, her husband could only secure work in the Information Technology field, allowing Dana to remain home with their son. Four years later, she entered the workforce, with a new company from the UK, where she designed and manufactured architectural lighting fixtures, as their first engineer. Dana was able to blend her love of the arts with her engineering career. “It is funny, as engineering helped me to develop my creativity. It helped me understand 3d structures. It was so easy for me.”
She became their engineering manager, sixteen years later, and although she enjoyed it, she felt something was missing. “The problem was that for the last twelve years, I was more or less dealing with HR issues, rather than creating.” Experiencing symptoms of anxiety and her lack of creative options, she took painting classes, as an outlet. “Painting was therapy. The instructor kept telling me I was talented.” she said, adding, “It is like you were pregnant with art, and then you just let it out.”
Not ready to retire, she got a job with a new company and put her heart and soul into it. “I stopped painting and just worked. At one point, I felt sad and discouraged. I was still missing something. My son came home from university and told me to retire. He said to do what I wanted and have my own company. Being honest with myself, I always dreamt of being an artist, being able to create whatever I wanted, rather than doing what I had to do.” she explained.
With the support of her husband, she retired, and they travelled, met people, and took a break for a few months. She also began creating collages, to relax, and discovered Steam Punk Art, which involved creatively placing objects on canvas. “I searched through my garage, finding things like hub caps and gears I could use, to glue on canvas, to create a story,” she said.
Dana focuses on textures and shapes, using acrylic and mixed media on canvas, to turn objects into three dimensions. “I focus on texture. When I see objects, an idea comes to my head. While I glue them on the canvas, a story emerges. My engineering skills are always involved.” she stated.
Her dream is for people to see her collections in galleries and think about the ideas and messages she wants to express. “For me, my work is my ideas. My art is different, with a story in every piece,” concluded Dana.
Although Dana prefers creating her pieces to sell, using self-expression, she does work with customers and collectors, creatively incorporating materials they give her to tell a story.
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