My Grandpa

Drawing Space

Story and Photos by Stacy Fisher • TODAY Magazine Writer

Technical illustrator and art teacher Sol Dember, a Simi Valley
resident, first began drawing in 1940 when he was in high school. He
attributes his interest in art to his late uncle, who spent many
hours imbuing his nephew with the principles of design while
conveying his love of art and the natural world.

“When I was in school, my uncle was a commercial artist in New York
City, and he did magazine covers,” Dember affectionately recalls.
“After school I would go to his house and learned a lot from him
about art technique.”

Later, Dember graduated from the New York School of Industrial Art,
and studied at the Beaux Art Institute in Paris. As a scientific
illustrator, his cover and story illustrations have appeared on many
books and magazines in the United States, England, Sweden, Germany,
Israel, Italy and elsewhere. His work has been displayed in the
Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles, plus many of his
paintings hang in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in the Air
Force Academy in Colorado Springs, as well as in industrial offices,
galleries and private home, to name just a few of the venues where
his work is exhibited.

Additionally, reproductions of his illustrations appear in a number
of encyclopedias and dictionaries. His illustrations have won him
numerous awards and worldwide recognition. He’s also known for his
sea and landscapes, and his pen & inks.

His art background includes a long stint as art director and in-house
technical illustrator at Rockwell Scientific, “doing all the
conceptual paintings of space vehicles and rocket engines for the Air
Force,” he says. “I also do science fiction and adventure magazine
covers, advertising, and story illustrations.” His résumé includes
Christmas card designs for national greeting card publishers like
Regal and California Artists, plus record jackets.

On the space program alone, he estimates he’s drawn over 500
illustrations, depicting everything from space vehicles to the
surface of imaginary planets. He says that he plans to loan some of
his paintings featuring space motifs and other science themes to the
Discovery Center & Museum in Thousand Oaks for display once the
center is completed in a few years.

Specializing in acrylics and watercolor, he has produced a number of
expansive murals as well, like the one in downtown Los Angeles at
Patriotic Hall located on 1816 Figueroa Street, where he created a
65-foot long by 14-foot high mural showing a timeline following navel
engagements from the Revolutionary War to World War II, and on to the
Korean War and Vietnam.

Being a well-rounded artist has unexpected benefits, too. “My wife
Betty and I have boarded 46 ocean cruises over the years,” he shares,
“with free passage because I taught watercolor techniques to the
passengers while we were on the high seas.”

Presently, Dember, 82, teaches airbrush illustration and computer
generated animation backgrounds at Moorpark College. He also teaches
part time at Pierce College at night. Between his full-time duties
along with all his freelance work, he says he gets in just a few
hours of sleep each night. But he insists he’s not complaining. “Art
is the love of my life,” second only to his wife, he says. He quips
that his hobbies are cleaning the pool and weed-whacking.

He’s published a series of 10 instructional videotapes demonstrating
techniques for painting animals, people, machines and scenery, Dember
remarks. He also has four art books on the market: Volume 1 & 2 on
drawing and painting the world of animals, one on painting scenery,
and another on airbrush technique.

Possessing an imagination that reaches to the stars, Dember’s
technical skills continue to be in demand. No subject is beyond his
brush. He is a master of his subjects, whether it’s a simple
rendition of the beauty of a sunset, or worlds beyond.

For information on Dember’s work, or to employ his artistic talents,
call (805) 526-5228.