When people ask me about my art, I stumble trying to describe it.
It's just me, a tangled, disjointed, messy, colorful, emotional and sort of complicated. My art is a mere suggestion of a form. I like to think of it, as a source of feelings locked away, turned inside out and rearranged. I see the human figure as a vessel of our protected selves. I attempt to expose that rawness of self. I call it Insides Out Art. Moving paint across canvas or shaping clay, is tactual & cathartic. My colors are frenetic; slipping in and out of shades & intensity. Clay moves and shape shifts with the subtlest of touch. I am grateful that my art allows me to move through prickly emotions.
Growing up, I doodled my way through school. I was always drawing on something. My medium of choice back then was a ball point pen and I either drew in my journal or my shoes. Besides drawing, most of my time was spent in dance class. My plan was to finish High School and join a dance company. My dancing was cut abruptly and after 3 knee surgeries it became pretty obvious that I was going to need to choose another path.
Leaving the dance world was devastating but I found solace in my artwork.
I aimlessly went to California College of the Arts in Oakland, California but ended up dropping out. It seemed to me that the population of students were already masters of their craft. The school was very intimidating for me. The whole experience of loss and struggle to find my way, finally led my to Northern California. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with an emphasis in art & dance therapy, from Cal Poly Humboldt University in 1991.
I was the Creative director of, 4ARTS Enrichment, which brought performing arts to schools through out Marin & Sonoma counties from 1992-2020. The program taught social and emotional skills to kids via the arts. In 2020, I retired from teaching and am now a full-time artist in Petaluma, California. Currently my family runs a small art collective, MixemUpArt.com and we enjoy selling our artwork at local art shows in Sonoma & Marin county.
Education
It's just me, a tangled, disjointed, messy, colorful, emotional and sort of complicated. My art is a mere suggestion of a form. I like to think of it, as a source of feelings locked away, turned inside out and rearranged. I see the human figure as a vessel of our protected selves. I attempt to expose that rawness of self. I call it Insides Out Art. Moving paint across canvas or shaping clay, is tactual & cathartic. My colors are frenetic; slipping in and out of shades & intensity. Clay moves and shape shifts with the subtlest of touch. I am grateful that my art allows me to move through prickly emotions.
Growing up, I doodled my way through school. I was always drawing on something. My medium of choice back then was a ball point pen and I either drew in my journal or my shoes. Besides drawing, most of my time was spent in dance class. My plan was to finish High School and join a dance company. My dancing was cut abruptly and after 3 knee surgeries it became pretty obvious that I was going to need to choose another path.
Leaving the dance world was devastating but I found solace in my artwork.
I aimlessly went to California College of the Arts in Oakland, California but ended up dropping out. It seemed to me that the population of students were already masters of their craft. The school was very intimidating for me. The whole experience of loss and struggle to find my way, finally led my to Northern California. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with an emphasis in art & dance therapy, from Cal Poly Humboldt University in 1991.
I was the Creative director of, 4ARTS Enrichment, which brought performing arts to schools through out Marin & Sonoma counties from 1992-2020. The program taught social and emotional skills to kids via the arts. In 2020, I retired from teaching and am now a full-time artist in Petaluma, California. Currently my family runs a small art collective, MixemUpArt.com and we enjoy selling our artwork at local art shows in Sonoma & Marin county.
Education
- Carol Fregoso, Sculptural Ceramics Artist, Sebastopol CA
- HumboldtState University, Arcata CA. Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology & Dance
- College of the Redwoods- Figurative studies, Eureka, CA
- College of Marin- Figurative studies, Kentfield CA
- California College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland CA
for sales information please email danadavis4arts@hotmail.com