Daniel J. Finaldi

Country where you live:

City where you live:

Statement : 

What should I paint or draw or sculpt?  That is the question every artist asks.  I have wrestled with that question for years.  My answer has always been to trust my instincts, my intuition and what visually attracts me.  In following that interior voice, I have chosen consistent subject matter again and again.

I am a painter of people and the landscape.  On rare occasions I paint still life but that is exceedingly rare.  Painting people indoors and outside is always a thrill.  Painting landscape and being outside in nature is also exciting.  I am inspired by those two subjects and I find that listening to that pull has been the way to go.  The message of the painting is not necessarily explicit.  I have enjoyed hearing what people have to say when they see in the work.  

I paint directly from life.  I never use photographic references simply because that process bores me.  Painting people in a space or outdoors is thrilling.   I paint from life and work as quickly as I can since I understand that people cannot sit still very long and I desire to grab the likeness of the sitter quickly.  My process is fluid and loosely painted.  I do not paint on a carefully drawn image.  I draw and paint shapes from the onset, which sets up the composition.  The color is muted at first and then through the process of layering the color becomes more and more vibrant.  I love color and I cannot finish a picture until that level of color is present.

 My approach to color is tonal with an emphasis on the interplay of warm and cool color.  I enjoy the shock of the emergence of an image from nothingness.  I recognize people as physical but more especially I am far more aware of the mysterious quality of the spiritual essence of my sitters.  I am grateful for all who pose for me and I hope my work sincerely expresses my love for my subject.

Earth Science Class
oil, 36 x 48"
September in the park, last day of summer
Oil, 18x 24"
Pride
Oil, 36 x 48" All of my work is from life..directly observed. The LGBT students in my school asked me to do a group portrait of them which I finished in the late Spring.
Adirondacks, rushing water, bathers
All of my paintings are completed on location from life.
Latino family resting in the park
This painting is oil on board. All of my paintings are completed directly in front of the subject matter.
Bio: 

My artistic development traces back to my earliest memory as a child who drew obsessively.  My identity as an artistic person became a foundational psychological quality of my development. 

I decided that I had no other alternative but to pursue what I knew about myself as a child.  The decision was not easy as it required faith to follow my path which was filled with challenges and many doubts.  

  I am greatly indebted to my first college teachers who gave me courage in Community College and to my Graduate program MFA professors (especially Lois Dodd, Lennart Anderson and Philip Pearlstein) at Brooklyn College who offered clarity and friendship.  Lois Dodd is still a vital force in my life and I am in touch with her regularly.  Equally vital are my family my wife Judy and my sons, my artist friends Mel Leipzig and Linda Pochesci and my students who all offer me continued insight, guidance and inspiration to paint. 

United States
Los Angeles
United States
Brooklyn
Spain
granada
Italy
roma
United States
New York City

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