Daniel McClendon’s goal as a painter is to continuously produce and develop the most honest and unfettered paintings possible. With that in mind you can see how intuition and instinct are strong drivers behind every stage of his painting process.
An Abstract & Expressive Progression
Compelled by the desire to capture the elusiveness and chaos of life’s origins, he begins with a non-objective abstract black and white under-painting, with no thought of animal representation. This becomes the foundation and creates an environment ripe for expansion.
He then studies the black and white paintings, looking for animal forms, motion, or clues as to what can further influence the final composition. Still driven by compulsion, he will settle on a specific animal to paint that will act as both a practical source of visual inspiration as well as symbolically representing the very idea of what instinct is.
Daniel continues in the same frame of mind as he builds on the foundation—using no brushes and limited tools to shape, layer, and manipulate the paint into animal forms. He responds to the work as it progresses, creating the distinctive combination of lines, textures, and colors.
