For over 20 years, David Ilan has hand drawn millions upon millions of tiny dots on his canvases. As a pointillism artist, David draws using only dots. Every dot is similar to the ones around it, but the grouping of the dots is what creates the images in our minds.

When David was a teenager, he was introduced to the pointillism technique. It was love at first sight. The ability to create a complicated image one dot at a time was empowering. From up close, every point by itself is just a point; but from far away the larger image becomes visible.

David spent several years honing his skills only drawing in pointillism. Jerry Seinfeld saw David’s work and invited him to bring the originals to the set of “Seinfeld.” The cast of this hit television series were the first celebrities to pose for David, and this began his career as a celebrity artist.

In 2007, David wanted to make his art more meaningful by creating Points with Purpose (PointsWithPurpose.com), where every dot on the canvas represents a real person and their personal story. The dots come together to form “the big picture.” The Points with Purpose project is a drawing of a survivor of rape or sexual abuse created from dots representing real-life survivors. When a survivor joins the project, David places a dot on the canvas in their honor. Dots are not added until people join. Over time, the project evolves toward completion. Participants are given the option of attaching their personal story to their dot to share with others on the Points with Purpose website, or they can choose to be represented just by their dot. Points With Purpose is an ongoing project that continues to help thousands of survivors from over 150 countries. David receives emails from people all over the world thanking him for making them feel less alone. Many of those participating were inspired to share their story for the first time ever.

David is also offering his talent to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics Southern California. His one dot = one person technique brings a community of athletes and supporters together in one portrait to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Special Olympics Southern California.

David continues to use his talent to create interactive portraits for Join The Dot, including The Mulligans Project.

To find out more about David Ilan, please visit DavidIlan.com.