About the author
In all the craziness of moving to a new studio and getting everything all ready for his latest solo expo on March 20th at Public, artist Daan Roukens caught a breath of fresh air and sat down with me for a coffee and a chat. And that’s exactly what we did; we talked about discipline, structure, balance and of course the magical neurotics of OCD. I couldn’t stop wondering, what drives Daan in his pursuit of art?
Just to get the ball rolling, can you give me a short summary of what brought you to the place you are now?
“I studied fine arts at the St. Joost Academy in Den Bosch. They are really focussed on personal development there which has helped me out a lot. I learned to ask myself the right questions, ultimately teaching me why I make the work I do and for what. Once I graduated, I instantly chose to earn a living for myself with my art. Of course it never goes as easily as you hope and I have had to keep up a second job on the side. But that’s actually really fun and a nice distraction that keeps me going.”
So why do you create the work you do?
[laughs] “For me; how lame that may sound. I’ve always been very ordered, never found it a problem or a hassle to clean up after myself. My work reflects this, the order and the patterns. Routine is important for me, I like to do things in a certain order. But what’s reassuring is that I don’t lose track if my rhythm gets disrupted or something unplanned happens.”
How does this translate to your work? What’s the process you go through in your paintings, building layer upon layer upon layer?
“I get inspired by patterns I notice all around me, just in everyday life. An idea for a pattern derives from this and that’s my main starting point. From there I search for the right repetition, colour combinations, composition and my own personal feeling and intuition. My process is an experiment, testing what works and what doesn’t, making (sometimes vital) choices. And yes, sometimes I make the wrong ones, haha!”
Searching for the boundaries of balance and creating perfect imperfections are the real elements that drive me.
Do you notice a constant progression or evolution in your work and your method of creation?
“Of course, making more and more of the right decisions is part of this. I guess I can sense some type of evolution, going bigger, working faster, more variation and becoming more expressive. I’m quite disciplined, but I enjoy breaking these habits in an exciting way. Searching for the boundaries of balance and creating perfect imperfections are the real elements that drive me.”
You can find more of Daan’s work, his process and his inspiration on his blog No Rest for the Obsessed. And you can also buy some awesome prints!
Photos courtesy of Daan Roukens.
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