Danny Stephens

As a collective in our accent towards novelty, art bridges the gaps that language leaves open. I feel that the hivemind produces solutions to our problems through the creative expression of any individual who pauses long enough to feel the pull. Anything else in my mind is speculation. I have re-wrote my statement enough times to learn that my biggest mistake has always been being too concrete in my views and processes. My art is about curiosity. Each painting is a dive into a particular observation hoping to visually explain what I fall so short on linguistically.

As for why I paint.. I truly don’t know. It’s just the closest thing to what feels right at the moment.

I left Mississippi in 2010. After traveling the western states I was led to finish my art teaching degree from The University of Utah in 2015. Landing in Portland, Oregon after graduating, I discovered visionary art and have been trying to scratch that itch ever since.

My biggest curiosities are medicine work, perception, evolution, community, and that curiously interactive force that lies just beneath and beyond our understanding.