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Art & Life with Steven Daily

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Daily.

Steven, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Riverside California in 1973. My parents got divorced when I was very young. We grew up poor, but my mother raised us very well, There was lots of love in the house, so much so that neighbor kids would often eat with us. I started drawing at a very young age, around four I believe. My mother was really creative. She was always writing stories, painting landscapes or making art in some capacity. I always knew I wanted to be an artist from a very young age. Around the mid eighty’s my stepfather got sick and laid off. So we sold everything, packed up and moved to south Georgia. We had family there, so I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. My mother didn’t last long In the south. It was a backward place, filled with hatred and closed minded people. I remember when we moved into the house we rented. There was a cross burned in someone’s front yard a few blocks away. Fed up, we relocated to The Atlanta area around two years later.

I really liked Atlanta it was a young man’s paradise, we lived right on the lake, so it was really fun. My stepdad got fired from his job about two years later, and we relocated to northern Illinois. We lived there for a few years during high school. I got into skateboarding and Graffiti art spent most of my time drawing and skating. After a few years, my stepfather got really sick and wanted to see his children from a previous marriage. So we sold everything, packed up and moved back to southern California. Graffiti art and skateboarding became my primary interest at this time. Lasting almost 20 years of prolific work in both genres. I went to jr college then later went to the art center on a scholarship. I dropped out of art school after just one semester to work in illustration. I started to develop a style and a clear vision of what I wanted to say. Started creating my own work, drawing from the experiences of moving around so frequently as a child. While creating illustrations for other peoples property’s, as a supplemental income. I began showing my works in the gallery scene in 2006.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I create figurative surreal art. The medium is oil paint on wood panel.

With the use of masters techniques, stripped down to the foundation.

Creating a contemporary style.

I work from my imagination, symbolic imagery, and iconography.

To convey a deeper meaning than the surface of the subject.

Keeping it subtle enough that the viewer may interoperate the work, in their own way.

Lately, I have been trying to put myself honestly into the work.

Taking inspiration from my experiences. Beliefs, and philosophy.

There’s more to the work than the subject or the surface.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I used to think, success was climbing the steps of a pyramid. To appease some great art “watcher” recording my every move. The further I rose in fame, status or wealth, was how successful I was.

Lately, I have started to re-evaluate the way I think of success. I believe becoming more in tune with your craft, and learning every time you make new work. Being able to create for a living is a huge success.

Love what you do.
Then every day you work is a pleasure.

Make art for the sake of making art.
An audience will follow if the work is genuine.

Live in the moment
Living for some future you keeps you in the future.
Remember this; it’s about the journey, not the destination.

Do the work, be prolific
see where it takes you.

Take risks and grow.
We learn more from failure than triumph.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am currently exhibiting in Rome Italy, at Dorothy circus gallery.

I am reluctantly on social media. @stevendailyart

I have a website: www.stevendailyart.com

I have an art book coming out next year, so look for that.

I have a store on my website. https://stevendailyart.bigcartel.com/products

If you would like to be on my mailing list: steven.daily@gmail.com

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Steven Daily

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