Danny Arenas

Bio:

I am the son of Cuban refugees. My father arrived in Miami without parents in the 1960s through a program called Pedro Pan. I grew up with him constantly telling me, "Only the strong survive." In elementary school, a teacher nicknamed me "Little Boy Blue." Later, I attended an all-boys Jesuit school. We all wore uniforms. Often, I was reminded to tuck in my shirt and sent home to get haircuts, as my hair was deemed too long. I wanted to express the way I felt—rebellious within the structure I was in. My grades were good. We had limited art education, so the first subject that resonated with me was Psychology. In college, my deep curiosity in art felt like it was going to implode. Yet, with no art practice and a belief that I would develop my own way without art academia, I studied psychology. I began painting and making pictures in 2005. I dove right in. At one point, I worked a second job at the Miami-Dade Public Library. After properly shelving the books, I utilized the time to study the art books that still needed to be shelved. In 2009, I moved to New York to paint and to photograph.

I am a licensed social worker, a painter, a photographer, a father, a husband, and, simultaneously, dissolving these roles/titles to become nothing.

Statement:

The conscious idea is a start, although there is no actual start to pinpoint. I enjoy abstract forms and colors mixing with the conscious idea that holds recognizable elements. I see waterfalls on the blackened gums on the sidewalks of New York. The gum and a waterfall found in nature somewhere are the same. It's a reflection of the self. The mind. I photograph and paint in the moments between.

A color can produce excitement, but that's not entirely enough, is it? On a 5-mile walk with a camera in hand, the process is in the walking and the awareness or observation of the mind. The photograph is the mirror of the pace and thought(s). A good photographer makes pictures with their ears, not eyes. With painting, there are many ideas within a single “work.” One must realize when an idea is communicated, and then move on. It’s the ability to accept change that resembles life most closely. The acceptance of the new idea, meaning you have moved on, yet the image of the former idea remains, is in fact a reflection or perhaps life itself. The conscious idea to move on feels like freedom, courage, and growth. This practice or process, I find extremely beneficial and rewarding.

Contact: arenas_da@hotmail.com for pricing.