Taking an art walk into a bright artistic hand, full of inspiration and memories, but also full of future plans and present history … Just a quick talk with Dan Lish and his prospect about Art wich can be medicine … !!

”Art can be Medicine, magic, meditative and healing”

Just a typical question for the start…. How it all started for u as an artist?
I remember being around 4 years old and drawing in pencil large whales with tiny deep sea divers, then it progressed to dinosaurs a year or so late. My parents where very encouraging. My father would get large bulks of paper from his work, so I had a pretty much endless supply of cheep paper to draw on.

What was the most difficult period for u as an artist?
I can not re-call a specific time, but in general I enjoy the challenges. This is the best time I can learn and push myself to solve visual problems. I’ve been through a bout of homelessness, so that was difficult due to a mixture of anxiety and lack of equipment but i could still express myself through Dance and Music.

What were the facts that lead your career to its current status?
Looking back, it was pretty Synchronistic and sort of fell into place. I moved to NYC, bumped into an old friend who worked as a producer for Rockstar Games and got into creating Concept Art.  At the time I was working as a Graphic Designer for Barnes & Noble book publishers as a regular job. I loved comic books as a teenager, so with the inspiration of particular Artists such as Robert Crumb and Moebius, that helped sculpt my current inking style. Also being obsessed with Hip Hop from 1982/83 onwards has organically culminated in the latest ongoing illustration project ‘Egostrip’.

Preferable place for you as a working space
A nice equipped studio with lots of natural light is preferable. The beach, under a tree, on my couch, in bed, on the Train… I’ve been know to draw on the toilet at times. I’m pretty flexible.

Preferable location for u as an artist (inspiration and living)
I currently live in Brighton, England which is an amazing place to live and bring up my Children. I love being close to nature and aspire to living ‘off-Grid’ as much as possible. However, I’m aware that in doing so, they’ll be less time for my art work and more time spent feeding my chickens and working my garden. for now I love being near the sea and having the option for town action (they call Brighton a city?) and to drive to the country side within 15 minutes. I’ve heard Cornwall is great for Artists due to the light quality…. maybe one day?

What are your main goals through your expression as an artist?
To be a self sufficient. To inspire, to intrigue, to tell stories, to evoke emotions…. to reflect and explore what it is to be human.

How about your personal project and what are the main references for now?
With the Egostrip project, my reference comes directly from my musical influences through the years. Especially the Artists’s music that still resonates to this day. I may not have listened to their music for over 20 years, but the emotion is still held deep inside for me to create an illustration.

What would u advise the new blood for their start?
Keep drawing, find beauty all around, be in nature as much as possible, do the inner work (know thyself), Keep drawing, Keep drawing, painting, painting, exploring, have fun whilst exploring, give yourself space to just be in the moment, experiment in as many mediums as possible, try and enjoy the process and not worry about the final outcome.

What is art for u?
Part of the Human experience. It’s Medicine, magic, meditative and healing.

A personal line that describes u for the end of this interview is …..?
To witness, to be.

You can check more of Dan Lish here …

PrincePaul

PrincePaul

video_game

video_game

mural

mural

Nina Simone

Nina Simone

delasoul

delasoul

hip hop

hip hop

bubble

bubble

SnowGoons

SnowGoons

For biography check Here