Daniel McClendon

I use a combination of painterly and illustrative techniques to articulate my menagerie of abstract animals. My work is derived mostly from a struggle with creative identity. Exclusively a representational painter by choice and training, I decided that I needed to shift to a format that would allow for me to express myself more authentically. Relying on my own philosophies is what guided this transition. My current approach is to begin each painting with total abstraction – a loose, non-objective black and white outline. This practice resonates with me in the sense that we are all dealing with the unknown. After assessing the environments on my canvases for opportunities and limitations, my path wanders with the application of color like someone who truly is immersing themselves in all the choices that unfold in life.
The animal forms are consistent visual anchors that emerge out of the black and white outline. Application of thick oil paint allows me to constantly alter the direction of the composition and take into account both the nature of the animal and the environment it’s conceived from. Along with my techniques, the animals serve as totems to further inform one’s identity.I focus on the process versus the end product, which reflects my desire to let intuition guide the composition.
Simple materials and tools are used to create this primitive yet complex imagery. The initial black acrylic paint is adorned with a large brush while the colors that follow are applied with palette knives and sculptural tools. These tools force a directness and intentionality that are perfect for the layered mark-making techniques. Simple symbols—X’s, zigzag lines, repetitive marks, and dashes—work in frenetic harmony with the animal forms that are a direct reference to natural instinct.
From a Gorilla to a Praying Mantis, and a Condor to a Great White Shark, I embrace the less prominent creatures that inhabit our world. Every species has significance in our biosphere, and the historic glamour or insignificance of an animal has little bearing on my decision to reference it.
Ultimately, when scaled back, I am referencing the human condition – the feeling of being cosmically inconsequential, but also having the opportunity to make an immediate and real impact. These values reverberate loudly in my work. I am relishing the opportunity to share them.

Could you tell us a little more about your background, and how did you begin creating art?

I was born in the Chicago suburbs (1985) and grew up in South Haven, MI-- a small town in SW Michigan. I've always loved to draw and create so I can't really remember a time when it wasn't a major part of my life. My parents were great- -very supportive and creative in their own rite-- so there was never much resistance to the idea of me spending so much time doing it. Then I did the stereotypical middle class american thing and went to college, learned how to drink beer and got a BFA in painting-- focused exclusively on representational work. After that, I moved to Asheville, NC to try and pursue my art professionally. I look back at this as a sink or swim moment and I definitely half-drowned but thankfully came out the other side. I moved here, worked at painting for 2.5 years, quit, and then revived myself on March 21, 2011 with a middle of the night idea on where I wanted my art to go. I switched to a very emotional,  expressionistic, and process driven technique. And I've been developing it ever since-- which is almost 10 years now. 

What does your art aim to say to the viewers?

The aim is to wake up something primitive... I give my audience as much freedom to engage in my work as I give myself to create it. There's a ton of ambiguity but also ample entry points for a willing audience. I hope it's like taking a dip in a hot spring: you get the feeling it could boil you alive but it's also so natural it just makes sense to indulge. 

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?

I approach my work mainly as a philosophy, as opposed to a technique. 10 yrs ago I switched from an intellectual approach, where I relied heavily on my craft to carry the art, to an emotional and instinctive process where I tried to jettison everything that my gut told me I didn't personally need. I now start every painting with a non-objective-- typically black and white-- environment and then respond to it. Non-human animals are a consistent figurative anchor that I look for in these environments. They carry deep symbolism for me as totems of instinct-- the embodiment of an authentic and efficient behavior that we've largely unlearned as humans. When I create I try to lock into what's in front of me and let impulses guide the path of the painting. I still have structure that helps guide me but I try to keep it minimal and allow for constant evolution. I don't pre-sketch, I don't put too much pressure on achieving something sacred. I just get at it and stay as present as possible so I can enjoy the good bits. And with that simple approach there's an emergence of something that still astounds me. Order out of chaos. 

What’s the essential element in your art?

Instinct. Instinct. Instinct. 

In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? 

I think artists are catalysts for shaking people out of our stupor. I don't pretend to know what direction we should be moving but I do know if you stand in the same damn spot for too long it starts to smell like shit. 

Website: danielmcclendon.com