An Indulging Conversation with Daniel Chen

Daniel Chen is a painter based in San Francisco, California. While growing up, he split his time between the SF Bay Area and Taiwan. After college, he decided not to attend law school but rather pursue his first passion. He has degrees from the Academy of Art University and California College of the Arts.

Daniel first learned to paint from his maternal grandfather, who was a traditional calligraphy painter and an art teacher. Daniel’s mother is also an oil painter based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Daniel has shown at Luna Rienne Gallery, Heron Art Gallery, and 111 Minna Gallery and is in the Chase Center Private Collection.

Daniel’s art practice explores space, color, and memory. Painting with oils on canvas, Daniel uses linear planes, pixels, and dramatic color shifts to establish ambiguous landscapes and memories. Daniel is heavily influenced by Impressionism and is currently working on two series: “Pixels” and “Interiors and Exteriors.”  His influences include Claude Monet, Francis Bacon, and David Choe.

I had the pleasure of asking Daniel his distinct perspective on the role of art in society and how it influences his work, how he would describe his creative "process" to someone who has never seen his work, what he would say and why, and so much more.

UZOMAH: In your artwork, you use grid systems. How have they evolved to resemble architectural drawings?

DANIEL: The drawings really came about because of boredom. The “Pixels” series is quite rigid in its parameters; once the grid is set, the only elements I can manipulate are color. If you can imagine, it becomes quite mundane after a while.

The architectural drawings really let me have some fun with the drawing and assembly part of the paintings. The more designed paintings, “Interiors & Exteriors,” let me play with space and light. It flexes a different side of my artistic brain and I hop from one series to the other whenever I feel myself getting sick of the monotony.

U: How do you space and even shadow in your artwork to draw more of the shapes you want to emphasize?

D: I like to think of the paintings starting out like a flame. I lay the first color down, and after that, every single color will have to reference that first color. Each single pixel is then individually mixed and placed one after the other until the painting is complete.

I always have a basic idea of what the painting will look like at the end before I start painting. I think a lot of the fun for me is watching the painting itself take shape and having to adjust and make on-the-spot decisions.

A Midnight Affair 30x24 oil on canvas

U: Where do you see the future of the use of AI in the art world and in your artwork?

D: I think AI could recreate my paintings particularly easily. I often get asked if I run my reference images through Photoshop or some other sort of photo editing software, which I don’t. I don’t really feel any worry about AI, as humans have and always will have an inclination for handmade goods and crafts. I don’t really worry about these things, as they are beyond my control.

U: Instead of pursuing a career in the legal field, you made a bold decision to follow your passion for art. What has been the most inspiring about that leap of faith in yourself? What advice would you give someone at a similar crossroads in their life?

D: I knew that no matter how much money and financial success I gained, I would always wonder what would have happened. Also, just the complete drudgery of corporate life was enough to persuade me that life was too short.

I don’t think most people ever give their passion a chance, and that’s if they’re lucky enough to even know what they are passionate about. I don’t think of myself as particularly successful or the best at what I do.. Most of my career has been an uphill struggle and continues to be. The success I have accrued is my ability to be completely free and unobstructed by societal norms.

What is rewarding to me now is the process: being able to bring my ideas to light, forcing myself to do things I hate (speaking about my art), and having my own studio, space, and time.

A Light 40x30 oil on canvas

U: What has been your biggest challenge in transitioning into a career in art from a different path? Did you face any resistance or self-doubt? How did you manage to overcome these challenges?

D: My mom and my maternal grandfather are both painters. My grandfather was my first art teacher while I grew up in Taiwan. Although I took an early knack for the arts and painting, it was always highly discouraged as my mom grew up in a very economically challenged background.

It was always made clear that art would be a hobby and that law school would be the correct career choice. I was out of college, studying for my LSATs, and working at a corporate job, and I don’t think depression is the right word, but I felt almost an impending doom. Good job, wife and kids, a mortgage, it really wasn’t anything I felt would make my life anymore complete.

It was very hard telling my parents, and I don’t think they really fully embrace or understand what I am still chasing. I've been getting tattoos since I was 17 years old. I’m turning 40 next month, and my mom still asks me when I’m getting my tattoos laser-etched off. So maybe that can give you a little idea of the challenges I still face.

U: Can you share your distinct perspective on the role of art in society and how it influences your work?

D: I think good art and artists speak of the things that society feels but has not yet formed the voice to express. I think my role as an artist is to be able to unfurl and translate my experiences through my work. As I get older, the work has become less about me personally.

In your series Interiors and Exteriors, you draw inspiration during a bout of insomnia. How did you transform illnesses into a mastery of art? Were there any difficulties putting the feeling from insomnia into an artistic expression?

I’ve always had insomnia since I was a small child. Laying awake staring at the ceiling with a million zooming thoughts. It was during one of these episodes, lying awake in my bedroom when a car’s headlights flooded through the window, and for one moment, the room was transformed into another world of lines, light, and perspective. This different world with different possibilities illuminated just for a second. And it was with this little moment I started trying to get behind the space within spaces.

Inside Out 16x12 oil on canvas

U: Why is social media an excellent way to promote an artist's work, and how does it positively impact spreading the word about your artwork and connecting more with your audience?

D: I think social media is a tool most artists must try to utilize. I think it’s almost impossible now to try to build a professional artist career without an online presence. Social media and the internet definitely are effective tools to garner views and generate sales, but it shouldn’t be the end all be all.

At the end of the day, the most important part about being an artist is being honest with yourself and making work, lots of work.

I feel like at the end of the day, the art business is a very old-school game. Lots of shaking hands and showing up. You do have to play the game ultimately and that sort of politicking cannot just be done online.

U: If you had to describe your creative "process" to someone who has never seen your work, what would you say and why?

D: The “Pixels” series is easier to describe as we literally just stare at pixels on our phones pretty much every day of our lives. A lot of people ask if I use tape, but it’s all free-hand. Once I lay down the pixels, I am solely mixing and filling in pixels afterward. Sometimes I’ll describe them as contemporary impressionist paintings.

Ashore 6x12 oil on canvas

U: How do you typically prepare for an upcoming exhibition, and how was your recent exhibition, Process, at Radian Gallery different from or similar to it?

D:  I met Tony from Radian Gallery during an open studio visit, and he seemed enthusiastic about my work and professional. I showed in a group show during the winter, and eventually, he had an opportunity come up this month, and the timing worked out perfectly. I’ve been painting pretty steadily for the last two years, and it just seemed to be the right move.

Every show is different, but at this point in my career, it’s a lot easier to spot out red flags than when I was a younger artist.

U: How do you find your voice and importance in and through art? What does it mean to you to have a voice in the art world, and how do you ensure that your work is impactful and meaningful?

D: Sometimes, I wake up and can’t believe that this is what I get to do. As a little boy, it was what I dreamed of, and now I get to do it.

I feel really blessed just to be able to make work and show it to people. I try not to think about my bigger impact, what I’m doing, or how my work is going to change the world. I think the most important thing I’ve learned through being an artist is patience. Sometimes, you see the big picture, and you focus on finishing the work. The magic really happens in that space in between.

For more information about Daniel’s artwork, please visit his website here. He can also be followed on Instagram here. His recent exhibition was featured in the magazine and can be found here.