About
Daryl
Daryl Urig is an artist and educator driven by one clear purpose: to help people truly see. From creating interactive educational programs for WGUC radio and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, to writing books that teach painting in the clear, engaging way he always wished existed when he was young, his work has always focused on making complex ideas accessible and alive.
That same drive runs through his vibrant figurative oil paintings that tell powerful stories, helping viewers notice moments and emotions they might have missed on their own. It also powers his wildly inventive Rube Goldberg contraptions — both prove that even the most complicated things can be broken down, understood, and experienced with joy and clarity.
Whether through paint, words, interactive experiences, or ridiculous machines, his work comes straight from the heart: people deserve to see, to understand, and to feel enlightened — not lost.
Heavy pigment.
No apologies
Daryl Urig paints with total surrender.
Every canvas is a deeply focused orchestration. While laying down thick, sculptural strokes of oil paint, he’s simultaneously thinking several moves ahead — constantly balancing color, rhythm, texture, direction, and emotional truth. Each brushstroke is like a single word. Together they form sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and eventually an entire book — a visual story that can be read across the surface of the painting.
The process is mentally exhausting yet profoundly meditative. When he’s painting, the outside world fades away. In those moments, he feels guided by something greater — a divine creative force moving through him.
Education
BFA in Illustration and Design, Columbus College of Art & Design. Additional studies in airbrush and figure drawing at DuCrete School of the Arts.
Academic Career
Served as Academic Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati where he designed and launched a four-year Bachelor’s degree program in Digital Arts. Also taught as Adjunct Assistant Professor in digital design, photo illustration, and animation.
Books
• Echoes on Canvas: My Solo Voice
• Painting Knife Explained
• Plein Air Painting for Everyone
• Tips for a Contemporary Painter
Exhibitions & Accolades
Daryl Urig’s paintings have been exhibited at the Salmagundi Club in New York, the CM Russell Museum, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Zanesville Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, and Columbus Museum of Art.
His work has been featured in Western Art Collector, International Artist, and The Artist magazines. He is a contributing writer for Leisure Painter magazine (UK).
Urig has received major awards including The Arnold Award (selected by Arnold as the Premier Oil Painting of the year), the Hallmark Award for Painting, and the Dialogue Magazine Cover Award.
He is a member of the Salmagundi Club, Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, and American Society of Marine Artists.
Inquire for acquisitions
Private viewings of monumental original oils are available by appointment at the studio.