BM - For those that might not know, please explain who you are and what you do.
DOC- I'm Danny O'Connor and I draw and paint pictures for a living.
BM - Have you always been so creative?
DOC – Yes, from what I can remember I always had an active imagination as a child. Fuelled by Video games, comics and cartoons. Whether through art or play my creative mind has always been good company to me. My mum was slightly concerned at my choice of subject matter as a child, namely bizarre looking monsters holding decapitated heads. The weird and wonderful has always held a place in my heart and I think that's where creativity festers.
BM – You seem to have a very diverse set of influences; from graffiti to comics, futurism to constructivism. How has this affected your practice?
DOC - I never consciously think to my self, ok this or that will be the influence for a piece. I just seem to pick things up on a subconscious level and it's only when I self examine the work I think, oh that must be from when I was looking at Jackson Pollock, or that's got a pre-Raphaelite vibe. For me the richness of most things are in their diversity. It's that which gives it depth and interest to me.
Heartbeat of Creation Archival Inkjet on Somerset Satin Enhanced 330gsm paper, Cut Edge
BM – The two most striking elements of your work are figuration and abstraction, how do you balance these and what is it that both bring to the table?
DOC - It purely comes down to trial and error, some of my best work comes from the destruction of an old piece by working over areas and allowing previous layers to peer through. The more you paint or draw the more you become familiar with your natural instinct for balance and composition.
BM - What made you want to get involved with Art On A Postcard?
DOC- I was very kindly invited and it it seemed like an interesting project for a good cause. It was also nice to exhibit original, all be it rather small work alongside some of the biggest names in the art world.
BM - What other exciting things are you working on at the moment?
DOC – I've been working with a new gallery "Villa Del Arte" recently. They have been exhibiting my work at Art Fairs across the globe in the last 7 or 8 months so I've been busy creating work for them. I'm planning on meeting with them in Barcelona to discuss future plans, so hopefully I'll be looking at my first solo show in the near future. I also painted a piece for New York Times best selling author Tarryn Fisher for the anniversary release of her cult classic novel "Mud Vein" I released a Limited Edition of 100 prints of the piece which sold out in less than half an hour.
BM – Where can we find out more about your work?
DOC - I try to regularly update my social media with new work and info on what I'm up to.
'Heartbeat of Creation' is a limited edition print of 50. It is part of the 20 Best of Art on a Postcard 2015 show curated by Jealous and available to buy here.
It is on show, along with the rest of the portfolio, at Jealous North in Crouch End until June 12th
About the writer
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Benjamin Murphy is an artist who primarily creates delicate figurative works using black electrical tape. As well as this, he regularly writes about contemporary art. He lives and works in London. |