Daniel Dust, a 30-year-old self-taught hyperrealist painter, uses color isolation, symbolism, and intricate detail to create provocative narratives within a societal context. Utilizing large-scale canvases, acrylic paint, and various blending techniques, he produces galvanizing imagery and content. He speaks to the themes of a global consciousness, a universal awareness and a common human experience.
The inspiration for his art is derived from a love of observation and connection. He sees us all as united in an origin of stardust, born of a cosmic explosion. One of his favorite quotes from Carl Sagan is, “The cosmos is within us all. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
He’s always daydreaming, going deep into his imagination where he can ponder the universe unrestrained, travelling through the real and fantastical alike. This is where he stumbles upon the ideas and symbolism used in his work. It is here where he becomes spellbound by the theme of duality – the dark and the light – and the complexity of everything between. It is in this otherworldly realm where his expression is born.
Voiced in one of his most recurrent and powerful themes, Daniel shows that in our war of power, we can either be the magnificence of our creation or the malice of our destruction. He is cautiously optimistic about our future as a species, but understands that the future is uncharted territory, and nothing is assured. He hopes that through his art he can bring attention to the problems we face, to the patterns we become stuck in, and, if he is successful in communicating his message, he hopes he can show us what we can become.
Guns N' Roses
The ‘Guns N’ Roses’ series challenges the conventional perceptions of power. Fleeting violence is pitched against the purity and vulnerability of love.
Reptilian Brain
My painting Reptilian Brain was inspired by Carl Sagan, who said in the series Cosmos, ‘Capping the brainstem is the R-Complex, R for reptile. It’s the seat of aggression, ritual, territoriality, and social hierarchies. It evolved hundreds of millions of years ago, in our reptilian ancestors.'
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