Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Finaldi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am not going to answer this question in a way you might imagine. I am very happy being a painter, but painting is not always a “happy” endeavor. Being a devoted artists requires desire and an aptitude for rejection and failure. Some artists quit creating. So if I am going to base what I do on if it makes me happy, I would say that is a poor means to assess what I do.
That being the case, despite all the tribulations a painter must face, I would not trade it for anything.
I am deeply committed and quite obsessed with painting.
The satisfaction is in the work. When I am working nothing else matters and the issues or challenges melt into the process.
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 background and context?
My story is not unlike most painters I know and respect. Most visual artists know they have a talent to draw and then possibly paint or sculpt from a very early age. I was a very young child when I picked up crayons to draw on every piece of paper or surface I could find.
Drawing was a common and obsessive occupation for me. I did it daily for hours and hours. I told stories filling pages with images and I was completely in love (bliss) with the activity.
As I grew older, it was ever clearer to me that taking a path in the arts was something that was true and natural.
No other path resonated so I made my choice. Initially I went to a very good Junior College known for the arts and I began a two-year program in illustration. I thought it was a perfectly logical path to apply my talents.
In the second semester, the art department sponsored a trip to the New York City museums. I lived in Upstate NY and NYC was a world away. I had never stepped foot in the Metropolitan Museum before that trip.
It was during that visit to the Met that I wandered into the 19th century French wing and became transfixed by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Pissaro, and so many others. I was frozen in place as the energy of the paintings hit me like a wave. I could not get over the color, the mood and the spiritual power emanating from the paintings.
Afterwards when we were sharing our experiences with the painting faculty, all I could do was stammer and say “the color..I cannot get over the color”.
My professor said “Oh…you’re a painter!”
“I am?” was my response, and then my inner voice confirmed that I was.
That was it. I shifted my major to painting from illustration and never looked back.
My path took to State University at New Paltz where I completed a BFA in painting and then I continued on for an MFA at Brooklyn College. While at Brooklyn College, my aesthetic became clearer. In my youth I was exposed to the Impressionists and then at New Paltz I was exposed to the Abstract Expressionists.
At Brooklyn College painting from life and painting representationally became my passion.
I always loved representational art, and it was clear that painting figures and other representations of the visible world was where I wanted to devote my efforts.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I grew up in an a rather unsupportive and deeply dysfunctional home. I experienced and witnessed physical and emotional abuse from a very early age.
Creating images was a means by which I made a new universe to live in.
As I chose my path in painting, I was utterly alone without familial or financial support.
I worked 25 to 35 hours a week throughout my entire time in college and in graduate school.
I worked all shifts and after I graduated with my MFA I worked evenings at a well-known Manhattan law firm as a night time receptionist. That sort of alienated work allowed me to focus entirely on painting during the day.
It has taken me over ten years post MFA to evolve my technique. I am still evolving and learning how to paint.
Painting is an art form that must evolve slowly and on one’s own terms. A painter has to make key insights and that takes time and perseverance.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think it’s hard for someone in the arts to truly communicate what it is like to others who do not create. There are some painters out there who might speak of the art in terms of a business. That does not sit well with me.
I do not paint with the idea of marketing in my mind. I do not know if that is a wrong approach, but I do not know if I could freely paint if I knew someone was telling me what to do.
I think the obsessive aspect of being a painter is something many people might feel confused about or maybe off putting. Obsessive personalities are associated with many bad habits. I understand how my description of what I do might just sound a bit much. Be that as it may, I firmly believe that it’s valuable to convey that painting is a lifestyle and not a hobby, or a profession. Perhaps it is best for non painters to think of painting as an act more closely aligned with a religious life. The attributes needed to love a religion and live religiously are akin to making art. It should not surprise anyone to discover that Van Gogh for example was a deeply religious person. Of course many visual artists ( as well as artists of every discipline) have also been avowed atheists. I am not arguing that being a successful painter is contingent upon religious observation. I am simply trying to create an allusion which can help explain why I continue to paint rather than not paint at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danielfinaldi.com
- Instagram: @danfinaldi
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-finaldi-22776333/
Image Credits
I certify these images to be my creations