Today we’d like to introduce you to Daun Knight.
Hi Daun, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My obsession with art and color started as soon as I could hold a crayon and everything I’ve done in my life since has revolved around the arts. After winning an art scholarship from my high school back in Michigan, I went on to college to pursue a degree in art and design. However, life had other plans, and I moved to Columbus, Ohio, changing my focus to finance and accounting. I’ve now been an accountant for over 30 years, currently working as the Sr. Accountant at the Denver Art Museum. Yet, I’ve never stopped feeding my passion for the arts outside of the office. I have a home studio, and I carry a sketchbook with me everywhere I go. Moving around a lot has helped expand my artistic endeavors through the years. I’ve assisted with stage design for a small playhouse in Indiana; I worked as an assistant set decorator on a Martina McBride video in Nashville; I illustrated the cover of the book “SAM and ME: The Week I Spent a Year with Sam Kinison” for a Nashville producer; and I contributed artwork to the producer of a Cure fan documentary out of NYC. In Denver, I took art classes at The Art Students League, and I enjoy volunteering my time and talents with many local mural artists throughout the metro area. When not doing accounting for the art museum or wandering the galleries, I frequently show my work in art shows around the city, and I spend my free time making art in my home studio as much as possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever smooth, as life always throws challenges your way. In the past, I wasn’t always able to make art the priority in my day-to-day life. While I am making my creative practice more of the focus now, navigating through past difficult times decreased my artistic motivation and there were long periods where I did not make art at all. Additionally, feeding the creative spark while working in a stressful, full-time accounting career has been difficult to manage. Finding the balance between the mundane and the magical has always been a struggle, but at this point in my life I am actively shifting my priorities to take care of my soul first—making sure I do something creative every day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Besides being an avid sketchbook pen and ink doodler, I am an abstract painter, using vivid acrylics, strong mark-making, and textures on wood panels to create my work. My artistic style has evolved significantly over the years, culminating in the abstract botanical approach that has become my signature. The process is always intuitive, combining luminous tangles of color and sweeping linework to create an other-worldly landscape. I want my work to resonate with the viewer, giving them an ethereal feeling of elsewhere, away from the over-local tangibility of the every day.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
It is extremely important to budget your time and energy in favor of the pursuit of artistic creation. Having the most expensive or trendy supplies is not what matters. Create with what you have and create as often as possible. Build your practice every day, engage in extraordinary moments, go and appreciate other artists’ work, and bring all this inspiration home with you to sustain the growth of your own vision.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/crayolastrumpet/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/daunknight/
- Youtube: youtu.be/gTT2zlIhl4w
- Other: https://sketchbookproject.com/library/S172988
