I've learned only a little about Danny's techniques so far. But I do know for certain that the simplicity of his approach belies the utter complexity of the final work. For all the rich presentation of his various paintings, there is very little in the way of tools or paint. In fact, I think he only owns one paintbrush, and he's commented himself that when you need to make a tube of paint last, you get real good at perfecting each stroke.
His paint is acrylic.
He uses a variety of colors and formulas often involving iridescent mixtures.
His surface is whatever is handy, which has led to paintings on canvas, Bristol board, mounting board, foam board, glass and plexiglas.
I refer to strokes throughout this site because that is what Danny does. He uses only that single brush, no rags or stones or other stuff. Seeing some of the textures he creates led me to think he did, but I've seen for myself this the simplicity and skill of his very talented brush.
He uses glitter as a medium in some of his newer plexiglas works. He calls them pixels. He says they interact in ever-changing ways with light and viewer.
His later pieces are done in reverse on the back of plexiglas. I've watched him paint this way in a bit of shock. He cannot see the finished piece, it's covered in a brown protective paper. If I'm lucky and he's in a good mood he'll call me to let me witness the unveiling of a piece. I love being with the artist as we see a painting – both of us for the first time.
He doesn't or even can't re-do any brush strokes. What he puts down stays down. This makes me very uncomfortable. I like to know I can change things if I have to.
