Daniel Pickens

Daniel Pickens is a Peruvian-American artist based in Stockholm, Sweden.

He studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts, the Maryland Institute College of Art and Archaeology, and the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I build my images using small interwoven color lines that grow into recognizable images. I paint this way because I love the way the buildup of line allows the viewers to visually mix colors themselves, filling in missing information and sometimes experience a tickle in the eyes.

I want to pictorially explore the more hallucinatory nature of our perceptions.

I remember when I was a young man living in Baltimore and seeing an exhibition of Joe Coleman's very intricate religious like paintings and experiencing a strong aesthetic experience. I knew then that I wanted to pursue a line of painting that was more reflective of old illuminated book illustrations. I wanted my paintings to feel like a sort of pilgrimage having the process itself be a part of the work’s feel.

I offset my slow style with the use of highly recognizable faces that engage the viewer fast and directly and then hopefully generate enough interest to allow the more subtle aspects of my work to reveal themselves.

There is a tale behind the reason I center my work around musicians, and it goes back to my early adolescence. In the late eighties I used to live in a small-town high in the mountains of Peru. In those days it was impossible to listen to any music that wasn’t explicitly allowed by the leftist government and that meant that rock n roll, blues, country, jazz, and any other genre that didn’t follow a more traditional vein wasn’t allowed and most people I knew had grown up completely oblivious to some great music. We were in the middle of a Civil War and the constant bombing and assassinations meant most of us youngsters had to remain inside most of the time.

I had the good fortune of having an enormous record collection in my house amassed a decade earlier by my father who had lived in Peru as a member of the Peace Corps. So, my life revolved around all this music I had inherited. I played my music constantly but at a low volume to not alert anyone outside. This strange circumstance with a mixture of fear and illegality marked me with a strong aesthetic memory of the music I listened to.

In my art endeavor I have decided to follow my heart and work in an earnest fashion with a subject matter that I consider personally important and that truly compels me. I probably wouldn’t paint otherwise.

I hope you can connect with my work both in a visual aesthetic manner and by the distinct and personal connection you might have with any one of my idols.