Shop Small Saturday: Daniel Laffey Art
/This feature is near and dear to me. Danny was one of the first people outside of my family, who believed in my staging. He offered a collaboration, my first, and it has worked out so well! You'll probably recognize some of his pieces from our stagings but I am happy to introduce you to the man behind the art!
One of our favorites. What do you see? Alvin and i each see something different.
Danny got started in art relatively late, having no formal training. It's one of those things he had become interested in and wanted to try himself. I think many of us can relate to this! How many of us have taken a craft class to learn a new skill? He says once he got started, he never stopped. It's this passion, that you can really feel in his works. To quote Danny himself, "It was really something that just came out of nowhere and certainly something that I never expected to be doing.". Raise your hand if you, too, could have said this about your life! So relatable!
For Daniel, art is a way of expression. He doesn't worry about the competition or being a stand-out. His focus is staying true to himself and what inspires him. I love this! It can be so easy to get swept up in a competitive nature and lose sight of why you got started in the first place. He still hopes his works are unique in their own way of course, as we all hope we are unique. He also hopes others find inspiration in his paintings, and strives to create consistent bodies of work.
He is trying very hard not to get caught up in the business of art. Painting is something that brings him happiness and peace, and he hopes will always do so. At the same time, he has a desire to get his work exposed and hopefully into the homes of people who enjoy it and appreciate it in some way. Ultimately, it is about staying inspired, even if it means making less work at times. This year he has a goal to create some larger paintings in a small series. I personally can't wait to see it!
His inspiration comes from the need to express himself. Behind all of his work, there is emotion. I love how art expresses emotion but also how everyone interprets it differently. Alvin and I both love the first painting in this post, but we see different things in it. I love this quote from Daniel about his art, "It is a way to create a narrative about an event or a feeling or a place I had been.".
If you're interested in seeing more of this narrative and gaining some inspiration of your own, you can follow Danny on Instagram here. If you'd like some inspiration for your home, Danny is represented by Bluestone Fine Art in Philadelphia and Dolphin and Hawk Contemporary in Los Angeles. You can purchase his work from the galleries or contact him directly for any commission inquiries.
