ABOUT DAREN THOMAS MAGEE
We wanted to know more about Daren’s methods and experience as a professional artist, as well as his one tip for budding creatives. Read on to find out what makes him tick, and how he managed to break free from the monotony of dead end jobs to realise his dream of being a full-time professional artist.
What’s the inspiration behind ‘The Sea’ and ‘Another Day’?
The vastness of our world never ceases to amaze and inspire me. I love thinking about how much goes on without our input or feedback. The tides, the earth's rotation, all of the automated mechanisms that carry on without the slightest interest on what we think of them.
You started off illustrating by hand, but now work digitally. Why did you make the transition and did you find the shift challenging?
Working digitally is far easier and I can be so much more productive. When my partner got pregnant I had a realization that I wouldn't be able to spend nearly as much time on illustrating by hand as I had before. So I dipped my toes back into the digital world and found that I could express myself in a completely different way than I had been illustrating everything by hand.
You use a very soft, almost muted colour palette in your work. What’s the inspiration behind your colour choices?
My goal with my work is to try and blend into nature as seamlessly as possible. I try to not have my work 'stand out'. So I gravitate towards color palettes that you would be able to find out on a walk in nature.
Before art became your full-time career, what did you do and how did you express your creativity?
I worked all forms of jobs, none that even came close to creative expression. I hit a breaking point in 2017 where I came home from one of those nameless jobs and made a promise to myself that I would draw something everyday. I did that for a few years and before I knew it became a full time job, and now, sadly, I don't even come close to that original goal I set out for myself. The irony of becoming a professional.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give aspiring creatives?
Show the world that you are in the business of creating. Don't keep it to yourself. No one will ever be able to hire you or buy something from you if they don't know that you're a creator. When I moved to the little town I live in now I was trying to get my name out there, so I created some postcards with a depiction of the valley that the town sits in and asked local businesses if they wouldn't mind putting them out for people to take for free. It was a simple, but extremely effective marketing move and I encourage any young creative to take that idea and run with it!
Another Day & The Sea
‘Another Day’ is inspired by the unstoppable passage of time. Days come and days go, till the end.
‘The Sea’ is inspired by its namesake. The strength and the vastnessof the open sea is something to behold and revere.
