Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Dani Roach - Painter

North Shore Rocks 1
Dani Roach

Name:             Dani L. Roach
City/State:     Minneapolis, MN
Email:             art@daniroachart.com
Website:         www.daniroachart.com
MNartist.org profile:   http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=8920

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
I just finished a group of paintings for an upcoming solo show around the theme Pairings/Parings. I realized that I was creating twos – a pair of paintings of the same subject matter, or a pair in different mediums, or one horizontal and one vertical, etc.  I became more intentional about it after I noticed. The paring part, stripping away details or changing them, is pretty common to my previous work. At this point, I’m finishing up an interactive piece with a friend I’ve collaborated with for years, Roxann Reisdorf.  For the last twelve years I’ve included a piece that people can touch and play with, for my solo shows. My inspiration for the interactive pieces is an older sister that became blind later in life. I still wanted to be able to share my work with her.



How did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t remember it as a decision, but I was always creating things, drawing, and painting from early childhood. Given a choice, it was the one thing that always made sense to study and do.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Don’t expect to make your living from your art. Somewhere along the line in college that message crept in. It was a very practical idea – get trained in a trade you enjoy. Then, if you could work seasonally or take breaks when you needed them for the studio, you could still make a living. I didn’t end up pursuing a trade, but I ended up working in libraries – for as long as I’ve been making art.


Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?
I’m very fortunate to be represented by Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis, http://www.grovelandgallery.com/ for over 25 years now. I have a website http://www.daniroachart.com/ and maintain mailing lists. I also make sure that I participate in occasional juried and invitational exhibitions. The Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Competition is one venue where the volume of viewers is high.



Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
In addition to the other artists at Groveland Gallery, there are artists and friends whose work I’ve enjoyed seeing over the years.
Roxann Reisdorf http://rockdorf.zenfolio.com/
Marty Nash http://marthanash.wordpress.com/
Jody Williams http://www.flyingpaperpress.com/
Petronella Ytsma http://petronellaytsma.com/


If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
You could follow me to the major local museums like the MIA, Walker and Weisman, but I’d rather you follow me to some smaller venues. We’d see a good sampling of local and regional artists (as well as some big names) and some well-organized exhibitions around interesting themes. To name just a few:

Groveland Gallery www.grovelandgallery.com/
Form + Content   http://www.formandcontent.org/index.htm
Marine Art Museum in Winona www.minnesotamarineart.org/
Katherine E. Nash Gallery https://art.umn.edu/nash
Minnesota Museum of American Art  http://mmaa.org/
Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Building http://www.mnstatefair.org/


In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?
Mnartists.org  http://www.mnartists.org/
Springboard for the Arts http://springboardforthearts.org/
MN Original http://www.mnoriginal.org/
WARM http://www.thewarm.org/
Wet Paint’s site http://www.wetpaintart.com/ is chock full of information and I enjoy Beth Bergman’s blog.

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future? 
Yes. Pairings/Parings opens at Groveland Gallery on 10/25/13 through 11/30/13.  Reception: Friday 10/25/13 5-8 PM.


Groveland Gallery - Gallery Profile

Image List:
1.      North Shore Rocks 1
2.      North Shore Rocks 2
3.      Tumbling Prams
4.      Hovering Prams
5.      Red Reflection
6.      Woven
7.      Image of artist