10 Questions with Daniel Kanow

Daniel Kanow is a distinguished visual and kinetic artist, currently residing and practicing in Telluride. Kanow seamlessly combines various media, including acrylics, oils, canvas, wood, plexiglass, and unconventional tools, to produce works that captivate the observer with their dynamic and contemplative essence.

Drawing inspiration from the profound relationships in his life, including family and students, Kanow infuses his artistic process with an embrace of Asian philosophical and spiritual concepts. His oeuvre is a testament to the exploration of principles such as detachment, impermanence, creation and destruction, and the celebration of beautiful imperfections.

Engaging in the creation of his art is a ritual for Kanow—an energy-infused and dynamic practice that fluctuates between elevated, physically demanding moments and deeply grounded, spiritual contemplation.

This unique approach not only sets Kanow apart as an artist but also offers viewers an immersive experience into the depth and richness of his creative expression.

danielkanowfineart.com | @danielkanow.fineart

ARTIST STATEMENT

Welcome to the artistic sanctuary, where the beauty of open spaces intertwines with the profound influence of Daniels cherished relationships—his family, friends, and the vibrant souls he guides as students. Nature's landscapes and the warmth of human connections serve as Kanows muses, sparking a creative fire that finds its expression through painting, drawing, and the intricate dance of mixed media sculpture.

INTERVIEW

First of all, when and how did you start getting involved with art?

Thank you for the interview, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. I started getting involved with art as a kid. I loved to draw sports cars and cartoon characters, and then got more into technical illustration, life drawing, and architectural design in high school. When I started my BFA at UC Santa Cruz I became fascinated with the process of abstraction and also started painting sunsets and landscapes in plein aire. A few years later, I did a sculpture apprenticeship with Ted Egri in Taos New Mexico, where I and had a long-standing artist relationship with him for over 15 years. This was a pivotal moment in my artistic career, where I developed a keen understanding of making art filled with the power of intention and purpose, while also connecting with my audience. Also, in Telluride, a local artist and mentor named Robert Weatherford instilled with in me the direction that I continue to exemplify today, and that is to make your work from within, to engage from a place of meaning, and to tell your both the story and the narrative of your life through your art, whether the work is figurative or non-objective.

Are you still following the same inspiration? And how did your work evolve over time?

Yes, I am creating work with similar ideology today, yet my work has transformed and evolved through decades of practice and maturity. I have continued to refine my artistic skills and interests, by building on the types of genres that allow me to fully express myself, using mediums like acrylics, water mixable oils, charcoal, and pastels. As a result, I have created a great lifestyle as an artist where I teach, coach, and create art that is beautiful, filled with meaning, purpose and passion. I am continually inspired through expressive painting and abstract interpretation, where both the figurative and non-figurative are part of my wheelhouse. I love incorporating the philosophy of why artists make art and I dig deep into my own creations through experimentation, reflection, and imagination to find that inner peace and purpose behind my physical exploration of ideas and visions.
A large contributing factor that inspires my work is the joy I have as a father, where my two daughters are the best pieces of art I have ever created, every changing, inspiring my art practice with love and passion. I have lived in a small mountain town in the San Juans Mountains of Colorado for over 25 years. Thus said, family, nature and open spaces are integral to filling my sense of adventure and thirst for inspiration. For example, I love being about above tree line in the Colorado mountains or the Sierra Nevada where I can experience endless vistas around me, standing on the mountain top. I find clarity and wisdom in these spaces and I endeavor to maintain these feelings and experiences in my own contemplative works.

Let’s talk about your work. What inspired you to work with painting?

Great question, I love the immediacy of painting and drawing and how painting can be so permanent and yet so temporary at the same time. The ability to create through imagination and skill, refining the representation of space, color, and composition can be so fluid and fleeting. I find the work of contemporary artists like Basquiat and Joan Mitchell, and Giacometti and Ying Li as inspirations to what is possible with painting, drawing, and mixed media. I would also say that the master works of Van Gogh, Turner, Constable and Goya also greatly influence the depths of my art as I explore mark-making, and how I use layering and texture to convey meaning and intention.
Other inspirations for my art are the petroglyphs, pictographs, and ancient sites I have experienced by the Anasazi, Maya, and Inca in the Southwest, Central America, and Peru. I am inspired how art has been used for communication and connection for millenia. I see so much carry over to street art like murals and graffiti as a means for expressing the human experience. There is such a powerful joy and tension in the world and as an artist, I paint and draw with an immediacy to satisfy this inner need of self development and image making.

You work with a diverse array of techniques and tools, including acrylics, oils, canvas, wood, plexiglass, and unconventional tools. How does your practice change based on the technique you use?

Yes, I do you use a diverse array of materials, tools, and surfaces. I love going between acrylics and water mixable oils, painting with brushes of all sizes, large painters brushes, brooms, brushes on sticks, large pallet knives, and what speaks to me to create that mark or put that internal feeling on the canvas. Acrylics have more immediacy, oils allow for more texture and scraping. Each medium has its place in my work. All of these factors are part of my creative process, which I call the YX Factor, a process to look at the Big Why, and to experiment and explore the process to use materials and techniques to create work that feels extraordinary. Each piece of artwork carries a different energy depending on which materials and tools I use. Often in the non-objective, I will add and subtract, make marks or add texture, scrape, and keep going through these steps to build a visual history. If the feeling calls me to use a paint roller I will, if I have the need to use a small dental tool, I will. With landscapes and figurative work I also keep myself open to not be hard set on any one type of material or tool. I find that every piece of art is like a self-portrait, and the use of varied materials, surfaces, and tools can give me visual feedback on where I am in the moment.
I love to work on the ground, on the wall, or sometimes I staple my paper to the drywall or move between large multiple paneled canvases and surfaces. This movement and being unattached opens new visual outcomes that can often not be predicted. I love texture and I love color and I love the depth of layering over and over again. Painting outside or using a spray bottle with brushes and knives are one of my favorite activities. I love painting outside with a large canvas in a meadow or in the mountains, attempting to capture the grandness and the fastest that nature represents.

And how do you keep your style cohesive despite working with such a varied set of elements?

The cohesiveness of my work has the throughline of expressive art making, whether the work is figurative or non-objective; each is dialed in by my visual interpretation and staying loose and open. I use this YX Factor as a way to play and explore, a method that allows me to be physical and to trust the outcome. I feel it is often important to mess up a work. Just like in life we have to fail, fall down, and continue on. In life there is ugliness and beauty. I aim to capture this process of give and take through all types of my work.
If it is too refined, I will purposely make drastic changes as it is just art, and the work can often be pulled back to what it was, now with more grit and history. Painting a landscape or an outdoor abstraction, is no different than being in my studio. Each piece of art goes through similar processes, and this creates a cohesive pattern. I like working with various materials because it allows me to have a large quiver of tools and possibilities of telling my story, utilizing multiple modalities of expression. Like someone who likes to eat various kinds of fine food or travel to diverse cultures, working with objective and non-objective provides excitement and variation.

Speaking of style, how would you define your style? And how has it evolved over the years?

I describe my self as an expressive contemporary artist specializing in painting, drawing, mixed media and sculpture. My style is very gestural, with continual layering, where color and texture are means to be vibrant and tactile. My style incorporates the figurative and the abstract, all created through the lens of abstract interpretation. I feel like my work has evolved through circles, where I re-visit old ideas in new ways. As I age and raise a family, I can often see a repeat or a new opening in my work that ties into my past perspective, refined with more clarity and wisdom. It all comes down to the paradox of being an artist, creating work for self and for others, evolving in my craft, while continually letting go of what does not serve me. My perspective and world view of making art, has become more and more about self development through the creative process. I make less art with the intention to only sell it which is freeing, and when I have new collectors the work is richer because it does not feel like a commodity.

How do you choose the subjects of your paintings? And what is your creative process like?

When painting and creating my art, the process could start with a concept or an idea, or just a sketch or thumbnail drawing, or I may decide to go straight into improvisation with an idea, building as I go, letting the layers create a ground so I can really dig into my work. This methodology carries through all my work as I do not have a set process, or a set mathematical approach. This allows me to create a balance between creating from the head and creating from the heart. Sometimes I am more intentional, as if I am doing a a series of floral paintings. I will surround myself with bouquets of flowers and flowers on the table or immerse myself in an outdoor garden, and take in the color, the vibrancy, and the mood.
In the process of pure abstraction I enjoy playing with attachment and detachment. Taking joy in the destruction, the dissolution of shape and value enabling other layers to find new beginnings. I find this process to be eye-opening and allows me to fall in love with the zone of creation, being unattached to the outcome. Through enough trial and error I eventually build up enough history, enough muscle, enough changeable energy, that the forms develop their strength and composition in space.
One of the paintings I made during Covid is called VAX. I started this triptych after I got my first vaccine. Like many people, Covid was a hard time, yet this painting is so simple and evocative as it shows my celebration and consternation. Another multi-pic was a series of 8 paintings that were on the four walls of my studio. This piece started with a series of thirty small thumbnail pencil sketches when sitting on a mountain top, and these were translated into 8 colorful and expressive paintings that all connect together. Each piece of art has its own story and it is important for me to have this freshness within my work.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

My inspiration comes from traveling to exotic places, seeing amazing sunsets and climbing mountains, or spending time in front of masterworks in a museum, a gallery installation, or an ancient piece of archaeology. For example, the last time I was staring at a series of petroglyphs under the Kachina Bridge of Natural Bridges, it reminded me of the efficacy of communication through artwork, the storytelling, the timelessness and the importance of making art and its meaning for future generations to come. Often, I can go into the Museum of Modern Art and I know exactly what I want to find with the Abstract Expressionists, the Impressionists, or new contemporary work. I am drawn to the grit, the struggle and the triumph in a piece of work. I am also inspired by my family, a good conversation, the joy of skiing in the mountains or swimming in the ocean. It is the essence of the moment that inspires me which I bring to my artwork.

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

As I create my work, I generally attempt to focus on the here and now, not so much what the end result is going to look like, and how the audience will respond. When I do show or sell my work, I seek to have the audience connect at a visceral level where they can stop and they can pause, and they can see something that shows them possibility, where they can connect to their own story, and perhaps have a glimpse of potential within the world and within themselves. I have seen clients cry when interacting with my work and and I have seen and heard people speak ill of my work. This joy and tension, these conversations of triumph and awe, and the conversations of dislike are all part of the mix. I enjoy when my collectors have giant smiles of appreciation and gratitude as my work hangs in their home. A work of art sitting in my studio, finished or not, and never presented to the outside world can feel safe and can also feel like I am hiding my own truth. I think it is important to be share what comes out as an artist, to be vulnerable, and to provide access points for others to experience something that may provide inspiration and an inner knowing.

And finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future in terms of new projects? Do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to?

Right now I am working on a diverse body of work, spanning genres of abstraction, the landscape, and the figure. I have two large sunset paintings, one black-and-white abstract, and a mythical narrative. These pieces allow me to go deep into one genre, step back and take a break, and see how that piece engages and influences the other work in my studio.
30 years ago I would take my watercolor set and bike out to an overlook and paint the setting sun over the meadows of UC Santa Cruz. And to this day, I am still pulled to paint the brilliance of sunsets that represent endings and beginnings. One is from a photo taken from the heights of Haleakala in Maui and the other is an ocean sunset in Hermosa Beach, California. The abstract goes deep into play, where I am exploring value, light, and darkness, where movement and gesture are front and center. And the mythical figurative ties into a vision of me as an angel with wings, embracing the mouth of a large lion with peace and love, an image that ties into my fascination with the story of Daniel in the Lions Den.
I currently have a show scheduled for the summer at a restaurant in Telluride, CO and my main focus now is to just let the creation happen, let my art develop organically, and to continue inspiring others with my teaching and coaching.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.