Art Conspiracy’s Martha Belden is introducing us to some of the artists who will take part in Art Conspiracy this weekend. Today she catches up with painter Danny Rose.

Danny Rose is an artist in the truest sense of the word. He is constantly seeking out beauty, understanding and originality, and he believes everyone has at least a fragment of an artist residing within them. Danny works on his craft, ever mindful of the spiritual implications of creation.

“I think you are always becoming an artist,” he says. “Each and every thing you encounter is absorbed and then fed back to your work. It becomes your light.”

He received his first sketchbook when he was only five years old and has been zealously drawing ever since. Now, “I carry a small memo pad with me everywhere I go,” he says, “often stopping to jot an idea or a sketch. At this point I have several boxes of sketchbooks.”

He didn’t step into painting till he was in high school, when he says he first “really bonded with the medium. And I haven’t really stopped painting since then. The practice and tedious nature of paint, allows me to slow down… and these days I think we all could use that.”

As far as inspiration is concerned, having grown up near the Quartz Mountains in Oklahoma, Danny is drawn to the natural world. “I spent a large part of my childhood hiking those mountains and collecting rocks and crystals,” he says. “My eye was attracted to the landscape very early on as I was surrounded by so much empty space. I am an avid traveller and spend lots of time observing. These travels feed my work and allow me to find new colors and shapes along the way.”

In fact, recent collections have been specifically influenced by his trips to “Indonesia, Malaysia, Northern California and, currently, the deserts of New Mexico, where I am working on a new body of work.”

Danny first got involved with Art Conspiracy as a volunteer five years ago with Art Con 7. A friend was helping prepare for the event and invited him to help. And from that point on, he’s been, as often as possible, a devoted volunteer and participant.

“I began volunteering for the show and for smaller events when needed, and eventually I became an executive team member,” he says. “I was really inspired by the commitment and the amazing people working behind the scenes.”

As he got more and more involved, Art Conspiracy cemented for him the value of giving back and staying involved in the community around him, because together… it’s that much easier to, relatively quickly, make real change.

“From the volunteers to the artists and patrons and down to our beneficiaries, without everyone doing their part, nothing would change,” he says. “Art Con shows how much power we have as a community. But most importantly, it puts money in the hands of other non-profits. Organizations who are working hard to make ends meet and also help others. They are an organization that helps others… help others… who are helping others.”

Danny is currently being represented by Galleri Urbane Dallas + Marfa, where his first solo show with the gallery, THE SUN SHINES BLUE, opened in June 2016. For information about artwork please contact Ree Willaford at [email protected]. Check out some of Danny’s work at dannyrose.co, and come bid on his piece at Art Con 12, Saturday, November 12 at Cedars Union. Get your tickets here!