Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel O’Connor.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Many years ago I had a studio in Fort Point. I would paint portraits of the children and pets of people who owned deli’s and restaurants. In exchange, they would feed me the best meals. I worked at a health club so I could shower…. the rest of the time I worked in a huge cold studio in the Revolving Museum. Which was filled with similar tribes folk in a synchronistic mindset. It was bliss.
I started showing my collages at Zaftigs and within a year they asked me to be the house artist. Over the years I have sold many paintings and received many commissions from that honor which is very dear to me.
But that was twenty years ago and in between I have been on a long adventure of pursuing visual language through collage, paint, film, balls, caps and tape.
I do a lot of private projects for a small client list and spend the rest of my time trying to discover new ways to surprise myself.
Lifetime Highlight: I am in the Guinness Book of World Records 2005.
Ma Ma Ma
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha ha ha such a great question……. Not a smooth road….no!
This is the human condition, it’s not easy for anyone.
However, I have spent my life making art and living from my work, and for that I feel deeply blessed. The obstacles are the tests to greatness. I find that when I am in my element life works like a synchronistic puzzle that is free of judgement. In that space, I feel directed by my being not my mind. TRUST in oneself is the greatest gift an artist can invest in, outside of good friends.
The challenges could fill a book, but I always trusted that is was all part of the bigger plan….and in each case, sometimes years later I can look back and realize how much I learned from my many, many fails and heartbreaks.
The Framers Workshop in Brookline has been a saving grace for me over the years and I am a loyal customer. It is an art run do it yourself shop that saves artists a lot of money while teaching a skill. I call it the best kept secret in Brookline. They have the friendliest staff, the best music and good coffee. Ask for Justin, he made my early years manageable and I am forever grateful!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Danny O Studio – what should we know?
I am a featured artist for TJ Max & Marshalls my first portfolio of images hits the stores August 19th.
That is the focus project of my studio now, but I have shows coming up in the fall and next spring that I am also working on.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The Holy Mother
Mataamritanandamayi
Ma Ma Ma
Mataamritanandamayi
The Holy Mother.
Is my spiritual guide who taught me to trust my instincts
Milton Avery
Henri Matisse
Paul Klee
Scott Zieher
Chico Jefferson
Jeff Smith
Frank Criscione
David Ellis
Wayne White
Melora Kuhn
Archie Comics
Taught me to see.
Pricing:
- I sell prints from $10-$75
- I sell paintings from $575-$8,000
- I sell large scale collages $25,000-up
Image Credit:
Dannyostudio.com
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Jim
August 15, 2017 at 7:58 am
Great to see well deserved attention and recognition for Danny O. My path accidentally crossed his when a painting of his hanging (where else?) at Zaftig’s reminded me of someone lost forever. It’s been hanging in my house ever since and he has been a friend — and his creative vision an inspiration — ever since. And coincidentally, my interest in visual arts has edged into the center of my daily existence.