Meet Danny Folkman of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Folkman.

Hi Danny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in South Jersey. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. My dad was a really good drawer, so I think it came from him.
I didn’t start painting until my junior year of high school. I had been doing black and white ink illustrations up until then, but my studio art teacher Dr. Richmond Garrick finally pushed me to start painting, first with acrylics, then I picked up gouache, and I haven’t looked back.
I started finding other artists on Instagram doing the type of work I wanted to be doing- and some were actually making a living at it. So I started travelling around taking workshops with fine artists like Mark Boedges, Tim Horn and Mike Hernandez. I opted for this route instead of art school because I just wanted to paint pictures, and college seemed like a massive waste of time and money; especially considering that most of the required classes were completely unrelated to painting.
Ever since a family trip to California when I was 15 years old, the west coast had got a hold on me. It got to the point where I was almost exclusively painting California scenery from photos I had in New Jersey. It was also where most of the artists I followed online were living, and it seemed like all of the opportunity was there. So in 2023 I packed whatever fit in the car and moved to LA.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not.
As with anything there have been a thousand little side tracks along the way, but the biggest hurtle is just learning how to work (and often times I still feel like I haven’t learned this).
There aren’t many goal posts or clear “starting” positions to check off when painting, you just have to do it. Nobody is going to push you or tell you what to paint. Just get to work!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a plein air painter. Plein air is a french words that means outdoors, or open air. So I set up on location around town and paint what I see. They are mostly street scenes. I’m most attracted to old signage, old cars, interesting lighting conditions, and anything that is distinctly Los Angeles. I paint with gouache, which is popular in art schools and in the animation industry. It is essentially the in between of watercolors and acrylics- it is water based, and can be used transparently, but can also be thickened and used opaquely. The best of both worlds.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My goal is simply to capture this city the way that I’ve experienced it to the best of my ability. LA has a very distinct character with different moods and expressions. That is what I’m after. There is no place in the world like LA.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dannyfolkman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyfolkmanart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dannyfolkmanart/