Dani Mackey
Art has always been a part of my life. Even when I’ve taken long breaks from creating, I always come back to it. I think that my work is a reflection of how I look at the world, moments that are caught, places that I've seen, faces that have struck a chord. I start every piece with a reference material and a concept. However as each piece develops I find myself playing with different tones, adding texture where it feels right, darkening areas to allow others to come forward and when it is fully realized it has usually deviated from my original plan.
I am drawn to very saturated colours and dramatic contrasts, which I think adds a fictional quality to my otherwise realistic subjects. I work in acrylic or graphite, on canvas and wood. I work quickly, because acrylic is only pliable for a short time and because I am extraordinarily impatient. My brush work matches this, tending to be more impressionistic. Which adds to the imaginative interpretation of my realistic subjects.
Places, animals and images that I have connected with are usually my topics of choice and because of this my work is quite varied. A political statement or social commentary has never been a goal within my work, my focus is more on the process of creating. For me treating my works as living things, that change and evolve one layer at a time, is just as interesting as the finished piece.
I am drawn to very saturated colours and dramatic contrasts, which I think adds a fictional quality to my otherwise realistic subjects. I work in acrylic or graphite, on canvas and wood. I work quickly, because acrylic is only pliable for a short time and because I am extraordinarily impatient. My brush work matches this, tending to be more impressionistic. Which adds to the imaginative interpretation of my realistic subjects.
Places, animals and images that I have connected with are usually my topics of choice and because of this my work is quite varied. A political statement or social commentary has never been a goal within my work, my focus is more on the process of creating. For me treating my works as living things, that change and evolve one layer at a time, is just as interesting as the finished piece.
