We were lucky to catch up with Danny Heller recently and have shared our conversation below.
Danny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I got started as a professional artist by entering a group art show contest on a whim. I had been painting in the evenings after my day job, ever since I graduated from college two years prior. Not only did two of my paintings get in to the show, but they both sold. After that group show, I was given a solo show, which had considerable success. One show led to another and one success led to another, giving me the confidence, as well as the financial means, to do more art. But I still had to work some day jobs for years while my paintings were selling and I was becoming a stronger artist. And then the Great Recession hit! Talk about struggles… I was let go of my day jobs and that forced me to go full-time into my art. However the recession caught up to my collectors years later and so I had to go back to day jobs in order to pay the bills. Thankfully that didn’t last long and things bounced back. As soon as I could, I stopped doing my day jobs and approached art from a more business-savy perspective. I needed to be more mindful about budgets, the administrative things, and self promotion. This has greatly contributed to my current success as a full-time artist.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up in the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley, CA where the sunbleached rows of tract homes would end up having a heavy influence on my artwork. Working in an almost photo-realistic style, my paintings have come to focus on mid-century American imagery, specifically the architecture, design, and car culture found in Southern California. Over the last decade of painting, I’ve strived to capture the dynamic vestiges of the 50s and 60s and show not only how powerful their aesthetics are, but also why their ideas are still relevant today. My world is one of butterfly roof houses, colorful Eames chairs, and 1958 Fords. From cantilevered Neutra homes to kidney-shaped swimming pools, my paintings capture an era of great optimism and innovation. In addition to being shown regularly in LA and NYC galleries, I show internationally in Madrid and Paris, and count companies like Disney and In-N-Out Burger as my clients. My artwork can be found in the collections of the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Palm Springs Architecture and Design Center, and the Hilbert Museum in Orange County.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I paint the reality of the American environment: how structures once revered for their groundbreaking ideas in design and social planning have been perpetuated and how they have been forgotten. I use a realistic style to paint those moments where design and environment come together harmoniously in order to showcase the compelling characteristics of these spaces. In some ways, I act as a type of documentarian of an endangered architectural culture in America. By painting these historically and personally significant scenes, I hope to build an appreciation for this optimistic era and show its lasting timeless significance.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love that I can communicate my view of the world to others in a visual way. What I recognize to be important or fascinating I can easily (and sometimes not so easily) show to others and be an advocate for. I am the boss. This is my vision, uncorrupted by others or trends. It can be very difficult, but ultimately is rewarding knowing that my failures and successes rest on my shoulders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DannyHellerArt.com
- Instagram: @dannyhellerart
- Facebook: Danny Heller Art
Image Credits
Courtesy of the artist