'Artists can reshape the world through beauty and through socially and politically relevant works. Art has done so throughout the ages and continues to do so with tremendous force.'
Dan Simoneau is an artist and photographer working from his studio in Wisconsin, USA. He specialises primarily in male figurative art and maritime art, using acrylic and watercolour paints. A contemporary realist, Dan has exhibited nationally and internationally, with work held in private collections world-wide.
Where is your current studio? What would be your dream studio?
My current studio is in Racine, WI in a building called the Racine Business Center. The Center is a Civil War era building that was the first business incubator in the country. We have a community of about 50 artist studios of various sizes in the building with a total of over 60 artists creating in the building. I currently have a first floor studio of 799 square feet comprised of two 20 x 20 foot rooms. I use one as my gallery and photo shoot room and the other, with two large north-facing windows, as my work area for painting, framing, etc. I also have a studio in my home, much smaller but with nice lighting, plenty of space for working on most small to mid-sized work, and plenty of storage. I also have a sink in the home studio for clean-up.
My dream studio would be a stand-alone with a gallery, a room for framing and maintenance, a store room, a room for photo shoots, and a room for painting with plenty of natural north light.
Do you prefer to work in silence or does certain music inspire you?
It depends on the painting and the stage in painting. If I require total concentration, I prefer silence. Typically, I’m open to all music but prefer music which goes with the vibe of the painting so I am inspired via audio as well as through the subject I’m painting. I listen to a lot of jazz and movie scores (instrumental) when painting though any music works fine for me.
Studio life can lead to isolation, how do you address this/ keep a balance?
Studio life can lead to isolation. What is nice is the studio environment in the building where my studio currently resides. Because we’re an artist community, we set up a guideline that, if our studio door is open, anyone can come in to visit. If closed, we are focused on our work and prefer not to be interrupted. With this approach, artists will often stop in to visit or I can go out to visit others. We often talk about what we’re working on and ask for opinions on the work. Being a social introvert, I prefer the isolation in most cases.
Describe a moment you had an epiphany concerning your creative life.
I would say one epiphany came when I began my male figurative works. In my original works in the series, I often heard that the work was technically excellent but it was cold and unemotional. I dug in to explore these comments and realized that I was viewing my subjects the same as I would the objects in a still life. I made a concerted effort from this revelation forward to really learn more about my models and to get to know them as people. I have since grown long-term relationships and friendships with all of my models and now, because I feel for them as people, response to my work has grown with many people commenting on the emotions and feelings they get from the paintings.
What is your favourite/ least favourite part of the creative process?
My favorite part of the creative process is looking for something new to learn and understand. While the creative process is a necessity for life for me, a constant need to learn is also part of my character. If I’m not quite understanding hands or lips for example, I’ll paint several paintings which have hands or lips as a major part of the paintings and I’ll really pay attention to what I see and to the underlying structure (through studying anatomy books for example) to truly understand the structure of what I’m studying as well as how light impacts the item in question. I will continue until I have a strong understanding of the item that will allow me to feel more confident painting the item from that point forward.
Do you have a personal mantra or quote which serves to motivate you?
No.
How has your style evolved and what contributed to the changes?
I credit a single college professor for the biggest evolution in my artwork. Though it’s been almost 40 years since I studied with her, what I learned from her still resonates strongly with me today. Prior to working with this professor, I was a detailed realist using very small brushes to paint details. If I were painting a field of grass, I would paint every blade and would use several colors of green to capture a feeling of reality. She taught me ways to achieve similar levels of detail using much larger brushes and giving the illusion of a lot of detail. As a result, if you view my work now from a distance of approximately 6 – 10 feet, the images appear photographic. Moving closer, you can see that the detail is implied rather than explicitly captured.
Describe an obstacle you have faced and how did you overcome it.
The largest obstacle I’ve encountered is gallery directors’ attitudes toward the male figure in art. The male figure was historically of great importance in the history of art (Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini, etc.). Now, it seems as though male figurative art has been given a very negative connotation and getting the work into galleries is difficult. I’ve been told several times, “We don’t represent gay art.” Male figurative art is NOT gay art. We don’t call paintings of the female figure lesbian art… There is a subset of male figurative art which does have an overt sexual language and subject matter. My work does not fall into this category. I’ve been able to find true collectors who appreciate the male form for the beauty and sculptural qualities I see in the subject matter so I’ve been fortunate. I also exhibit and publish my work in Europe, where the subject matter is more accepted. I often hear mentors telling creatives to create what they love and admire and the passion for the subject will come through. I heartily believe in this. I paint what I love and admire. The sculptural qualities of the male figure, when bathed in light, fascinate me. Should others also admire my work and wish to own it, that’s the cherry on top.
Nature versus nurture- do you believe you have inherited abilities from creative parents, do you have creative siblings? Can you identify environmental factors or influences which led to your choices or directions?
I do believe nature has an influence in addition to nurture. Though I didn’t know him, my grandfather was a Renaissance man. He was a painter, a taxidermist, and a musician, among other things. He died 7 years before I was born. My father was also a fine woodworker and furniture maker though he no longer does that. My parents always encouraged creative expression and encouraged my art from a very young age. I feel I do get a lot of my talent naturally from my genes and expanded and matured that talent through coursework after school and throughout college as well as through workshops now. I think being around creatives my whole life nurtured my choices and directions.
Is there something you regard as essential to your preparation or process?
I don’t think so. Through college, I learned about proper technique and material usage as well the basics of making a solid painting. Since then, it’s been immersion in the process of creating art by studying art in museums, reading of artists I admire, and learning all I can about materials and methods.
Detail a moment which was the highlight for you, thus far.
I’ve has a couple which I use as motivation for students in my workshops. I began my pursuit of Signature Status in the American Watercolor Society right after graduation from college. Over the years, I received probably 20 or more rejections yet I didn’t give up. Within the past seven years, my watercolors matured to a point where I was accepted into several exhibitions and not only received Signature status in the American Watercolor Society but also in the National Watercolor Society. Persistence pays off! My other highlight was when our regional art and natural history museum, the Kenosha Public Museum, offered me a solo exhibition in their main gallery. The show, consisting of over 40 works in acrylic, oil, and watercolor, exhibited throughout the summer of 2017 and, if I remember correctly, had over 40,000 visitors before it closed. It also resulted in the sale of two works to a collector in Australia.
If you could time travel, what advice would you give the younger you, regarding pursuing your artmaking?
The one piece of advice I would give my younger self would be to learn about the BUSINESS of art in order to engage with galleries much sooner. I wish colleges would prepare fine art majors better with the BUSINESS of art as opposed to the practice of creation and learning materials and methods. Without the business aspect, getting representation and eventual collectors is more difficult.
How does your work respond to social trends?
Several of my series of works have strong social connections. I have a series focused on the plight of young black men in this country. Two major pieces in this series are “Who’s Next - #whosnext” dealing with the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement in this country and another, titled “Tug of War” is a diptych expressing the inequality between black men and white men in this country. I’ve painted many young black men over the years and listen to their stories as I work with them. I found it interesting at one exhibition when a black man was viewing my work and I heard him talking about the black artist who must have made the work. When I introduced myself as the artist, he said, “You get it and you get us.” It was a great compliment and I thank my black models for opening their world to me and for allowing me to share their voice through my artwork.
What do you hope to convey through your work?
From a young age, I wanted to focus on two aspects of the world: the effect of light and shadow on objects and placing a lens or focus on things which are often overlooked in our fast-paced lives. I began by painting abandoned buildings or objects on the ground or elsewhere which had a subtle beauty which is often overlooked. More recently, as mentioned in previous answers, my focus has been on bringing male figurative work back to a place of respect and, hopefully, prominence in the art world. I realize this is a lofty goal but every small step helps. I want people to see the beauty in the world they may not notice as well as the emotions and personalities I hopefully capture within my work.
Follow Dan!
Comments