An array of colorful buttons nailed on a round wood panel, dark hypnotic colors of African-American images on a canvas, and many avant-garde shapes and colors are included in the works of Jersey City artist Darin De-Field.
The soft-spoken self-taught creator has a strong passion for the unusual, he admits. De-Field enjoys looking at the world differently, and almost every day he has a new idea he expands on in his studio in either a sculpture or painting.
“Art is a passion, a state of mind,” De-Field said during an interview last week. “My work is the best form of self-expression.”
Through March, De-Field is displaying two dozen of his works at Perfecto Oyola Biblioteca Criolla and Cultural Center in Jersey City. Ed Perez, head librarian at La Biblioteca, is happy to have De-Field’s paintings and three-dimensional works in the back room of the library.
“Quite frankly, I’m really impressed with his art,” Perez said. “He is very talented.”
De-Field’s love of jazz inspired him to create the acrylic photo cutout on canvas “Jazz Guru” ($300). The work includes portraits of musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billy Holiday. His works at the display range from $100 to $400.
“This procedure is not the artistic creation itself, but the basic foundation process of creating the artwork,” De-Field said. “I consider myself a primal artist, whose preference is constructing artwork with a rhythmic social value.”
About his works currently at the library, he said, “Being a self-taught artist, my paintings are spontaneous creations based on the traditional history of the Yoruba Culture in Africa.”
De-Field is the founder of House of De-Field Art Gallery on Christopher Columbus Drive, where he promotes art shows. He also co-founded in 2000 the Jersey City art organization Consolidated Arts, which promotes Hudson County artists.
A small storefront in the busy business area on First Street near Jersey Avenue, La Biblioteca features over 10,000 books and periodicals from Latin American authors about the histories and cultures of Central and South American countries. The library is a branch of the main Jersey City Public Library and it serves thousands of city residents each year, according to Perez. The library carries Spanish and English books.
“We provide all the essential literature about Latin America,” Perez said. “This is it. This is where people come for their Spanish books.”
The branch is modest in size. The front consists of tables and chairs where people can read quietly, and the back is a research area for students and residents to utilize the computers and many reference volumes.
“Kids come here and do their homework all the time,” Perez said. “Residents come in looking for something, and we help them.”
The Perfecto Oyola Biblioteca Criolla is located on 280 First St. It is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, their telephone number is (201) 547-4541. De-Field can be reached at (201) 386-9211.