Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Doya.
Danny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My parents migrated to Miami from Colombia in 1990. I was born in Opa-Locka and started drawing at the age of five, experimenting with paints at 13. I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts at Florida State University. After graduating, I began working with galleries, selling internationally— I even saw my paintings tattooed on people around the world. I’m currently a full-time artist specializing in oil paintings, design, and large-scale murals.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Besides learning from failures and setbacks, the perception of art as impractical has weighed on me since the funding for my art program began to get cut. I started to ask myself, when did my passion become impractical? Why are so many boundaries being drawn between what I truly love and me? At one point, I strayed away from traditional studio art and focused on web and graphic design. I was making logos and letterheads for start-up companies when I realized I was rarely creating anything I was passionate about, let alone enjoying the creative process. Luckily, now there’s a new generation of artists with entrepreneurial mindsets a new generation that is a reverse-engineering success in an environment that is shifting towards a more accepting ecosystem for creators. I couldn’t be more excited about this.
Tell us about your art.
As an artist, I am most proud of the works that once seemed impossible to me. Whether it is trying new concepts and mediums on canvas or creating a seven-story mural to me, growth and comfort do not coexist. In my paintings, I currently juxtapose figurative subject matter with a translatable codex unique to my aesthetic in order to generate a meaningful dialogue. I use an ornate script developed over the years to weave personal narrative into my work, an attempt to harmonize a relationship between the figurative and abstract.
Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for businesses like yours?
A good deal of pride and comfort comes from growing up somewhere as culturally diverse as Miami. As an artist, there’s also a lot of comfort in its role in the arts watching the arts and design districts sprout from the ground up, the expansion of artists in Wynwood, the juggernaut that is now Art Basel. It goes without saying that even though you can start out as an artist pretty much anywhere, I would definitely recommend Miami.
Contact Info:
- Website: dannydoya.com/shop
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/dannydoya
- Facebook: facebook.com/dannydoya
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us knowhere.
