Meet Dagmar Galleithner-Steiner | Fine Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dagmar Galleithner-Steiner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dagmar, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
This question has popped up over and over throughout my whole career. Usually some extraordinary little thing happens when I get to this “ I’ve had it. I’m done.” point.
It may be a phone call with an exciting commission. It may be something I see on my travels that makes my heart skip a beat and inspires another painting. It may be one thing a random person says to me. It really comes down to the butterflies in my stomach that tell me to keep going. For me it has always been that gut feeling. Not so much my heart. The heart houses my passion for art, but is not the decision making center. And definitely not my brain! I would have never made the decision to build an art career had I used my brain. That little wave I feel in my tummy, however, is what I have learned to pay attention to.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For most of my life and career I have painted animals. The horses were my life from a very young age. Through the years I have built myself a strong client base within the equestrian world. My husband’s career as a jockey directed my work mostly towards the thoroughbreds. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was one of my first big clients. Over the past 9 years they have commissioned me to paint six of their Pacific Classic winners. This really gave my art career a major boost. In 2018 I had my first coffee-table book published. It’s title is “The Art of Old Friends” and introduces almost 50 retired racehorses that are or were residents at a Kentucky based farm Old Friends. More recently I have been studying the sport of polo and am excited to do more artwork in this fascinating arena.
Getting to this point in my career was anything but smooth and easy. In 2020 I dropped what I had been doing for most of my life to regroup- and give myself a timeout. I studied to become a health coach (Institute for Integrative Nutrition certified), a yoga teacher, Feng Shui consultant AND herbalist. It was this sudden urge to study. And study. I couldn’t stop, And I refused to paint. It all happens for a reason. I feel I came back stronger than before. And again it was a gut feeling. This tug I felt again. I was missing my art world. My parents had always loved the art of the Blue Rider group. Kandinsky, Münter, Marc, Jawlensky and friends had created some of their most famous expressionist pieces of art in a quaint town called Murnau. Not more than ten minutes from my hometown in Upper Bavaria, Germany. Having exhausted myself from the creation of super detailed paintings I felt the need to reduce everything to form and color, and started painting in the expressionists’ style. At Once Upon A Frame in Solana Beach they offered me an opportunity for a solo show in December of 2022. I believe I painted 15 originals in about three months. The show was wonderful! I had never felt more like an artist than that night. I don’t consider myself a good speaker. When I talk, people mostly don’t listen. That’s probably why I had always let my art do the talking for me. But that night- that night it was different. I was able to share my story and the background story of my work. And people listened! Not just for a minute but the entire time I spoke. And I don’t feel like I have to hide behind my work anymore. Being a creative person can be exhausting. It can go from painting nonstop to not knowing where to begin. It can be mentally exhausting. The deep passion for art has always lifted me back up, no matter what. Today I know that it always will and I don’t stress about it anymore. I believe it is one of the most beautiful things about being an artist: aging is a huge advantage as it comes with experience and wisdom. Could there be anything better in a time where everything is about anti-aging?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots are the Point Loma tide pools, Balboa Park (especially the San Diego Art Museum), the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla Cove (I take photos of my beloved pelicans there for my paintings) and the beaches around Del Mar and Solana Beach. A shopping trip to La Jolla where my friend’s upscale consignment store “Boulevard” is located is a must. I bought my outfits there for my art show. And then of course Little Italy for pizza, pasta and gelato. Lunch time calls for Rosanna’s Pasta Shop in Encinitas. The best panini you could ever hope for.
One week in the area?! Never enough time…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout not only to my family (and especially my husband Joe Steiner) for their unwavering love, but to my incredible clients who are my number one support.
I will forever be grateful to Joe Harper and Mac McBride from The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for believing in me when I was an unknown painter of horses in the US, just having moved here from Germany in 2013. Throughout the years they made sure to always keep me on their radar for the annual painting of the Pacific Classic Winner. Del Mar feels like Home to me with its wonderful group of people.
I’d also like to thank my most recent clients who are all horse people and never tire from encouraging me to keep going. Rodney Fragodt, President of the California Polo Club, started my love for painting the sport of polo with a commission of one of his superstar polo ponies. This is a whole new and exciting world for me, and it’s just the beginning. And while I am at it: many thanks to my people at Once Upon A Frame in Solana Beach. They always make my art shine.

Website: https://www.dagmargalleithner.com

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