Daniel McKinley
What inspires me most is my love of all things art. The creative process drives me.
Sitting in front of an empty canvas, knowing that the possibilities are endless.
I cannot call myself a traditional artist who spends a lot of time making sketches before starting a painting. I sketch directly on the canvas. I call it having a conversation with the canvas. It may start with a chair, or a flower, or a doorway, and then it all comes down to what if.
There is a lot of push and pull. Addition and subtraction, until the canvas is filled and I am ready to paint. I then have a general idea of where the painting is going from there, as if the painting is in control of me and I allow it to speak to me. When I paint I use mostly transparent paints and I paint in layers.
I have to allow the paint to dry, which is why I usually paint two to three paintings a time.
I find that I have to end the painting if I find myself working and reworking the same area for too long.The painting then tells me that it is done, and I have to let it go.
Upon looking at it months later there are many times that I can honestly not remember the process at all.
This is what inspires me to continue.
