We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Macaluso. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

In a nutshell, I hope that people will say that I was a good man and they liked my art. As a man I try to hold myself accountable to my own ethics and moral compass, as an artist I’m doing everything I can stitch my place into the tapestry of art history. When I’m gone, most people will not care about who I was. But for those who like art, more specifically, representational oil painting , will hopefully hold me in high regard. I hope that non artists will continue to appreciate my work in whatever capacity they consume it. I hope that future artists will enjoy my work to the point where it inspires them to go on and make their own creations.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my art education in 2013 when I was 25. After working in Tourism and the Travel Industries for 7 years, I decided I wanted a change. I enrolled at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco and dedicated myself to getting good at drawing and painting. As far as, “how did I get into my industry?” goes, honestly, I don’t know if I am in it. As of today, my career feels like I’m constantly hustling to get somewhere, contending with the same problem that every artist has of trying to convince people to care about what I do. Whilst I am confident in my skills as a competent painter of realism, I still have yet to feel like I’ve broken in. I have had some moderate successes in the form of commissions that helped pay the bills for an odd month here and there, but essentially, no one really knows who I am. I am presently a full time artist, by default as I was laid off from my part time job earlier this year. It is only from the support of my wife and family that I am completely dedicating myself to my art until it becomes necessary to get another day job, which will inevitably be before the year is out. The core of my focus now totally revolves around building an audience on Youtube and monetizing that platform. Whilst I am still trying to hone in on who my audience is, I am not trying to be a “How To…” channel. I’m painting subjects that I enjoy, that I am passionate about. My hope is that people will find value in seeing these passion projects come together and enjoy hearing me talk through what I’m thinking about throughout the process. My time is divided between; ideation i.e planning pieces to paint or draw on camera, selecting subjects that I feel as though I can get done in a timely manner so that I can release videos on a regular basis. Actually painting. Digitizing the work for print or to be viewed on the computer. Editing videos, of which I usually do 3 different cuts, one each for Youtube, Patreon and Tiktok, recording narration, then finally a fair amount of finger crossing in the hopes that it’s all worthwhile and people watch the video. What am I most proud of? Probably the fact that the few people that have commissioned me to paint a portrait of themselves or a loved one, thought that I was good enough and trusted me enough to pay not an insignificant amount of money for what is essentially a luxury item, handmade by me. That I think is something to be proud of. What sets me apart from others? Hard to say. I have zero natural talent or ability to paint or draw. I have developed what skill have through being disciplined and consistent. I’ve tried to be as honest with myself as possible at my skill level at every stage of my development, which has allowed me to not balk at critiques and be resilient to failure and rejection. All is to say, I’m still here, still painting and still trying to get known.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Honestly, it’s purely a need to create, a need to make things. It’s a certain kind of desperate. To the point where, I don’t see the point of myself if I don’t do this. Being able to do this, whether it’s full or part time is why I wake up. It’s why I haven’t quit. If I quit trying to be an artist, I don’t think I’d want to exist anymore. My mission is to paint, the goal is to be a great painter. It’s not complicated. The powers that be have decided to imbue me with this compulsion. It is however up to me to make it sustainable. The goal in that sense is to be able to make it pay and be financially sustainable so that I can contribute to the well-being of my family so that we can have the kind of life we want.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As stated, my art education primarily came from a University. However I don’t think that is the way of the future. I think there are excellent online learning recourses to get the skills you want for the fraction of the cost. If you still want the in-person learning experience, small Atelier schools are springing up everywhere and for the most part, they seem much more thorough and affordable than the nearest University art program. Whether it’s Watts Atelier in San Diego, Grand Central Atelier in New York or Academy of Realist Art Boston, I think any one of them will give you an excellent foundation in your skillset.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://macalusoarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macalusoarts/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0jpZX_BBeu0TZu1Fho4wQ