Bio
Daniel Petrov paints the human figure in a singular, sensuous style. Characteristic are his dynamic brush strokes and a penchant for vivid colors, whimsical gestures, and heightened expressions. Daniel was born in Bulgaria and grew up in Germany. A graduate of SFAI, he worked as a cameraman in New York, shooting TV news and documentaries for international broadcasters. After settling in the Tampa area, Daniel began pursuing a life as an artist. He has exhibited across the US and has worked on a wide range of illustration, graphic design, advertising, and branding projects. He has also taught expressive figure painting classes, written articles on contemporary art, headed the education department at an art center, and managed visual communications for a humanitarian startup. Daniel is married to Japanese artist Yumiko, with whom he has two children.
Artist Statement
People are my preferred motif. I paint people who stimulate me, forceful personalities. I also frequently portray myself. Painting a single portrait of a subject doesn’t satisfy me. Usually I produce an extensive series, examining various nuances in manner and mood. Ultimately I depict emotional states. Those of my subjects as well as my own.
I work from life or from photographs. I direct my subjects when I have a specific gestural geometry in mind. Otherwise I allow them to freely act out their impulses, to disclose a persona of their own choice, whether true or affected. My method combines discipline with abandon, finesse with physicality. First, I patiently outline the figure. Then, in a rapid onslaught of slashes and strokes, I let my instincts command my brush. The figure is usually alone and tightly cropped. It is either set against an abstract background or surrounded by plants or animals. These too have distinct personalities. Occasionally I include symbolic accessories.
I alternate between the aesthetic and the provocative. On one extreme are my urban psychological portraits. There’s a certain drama and grotesquerie in these works, a relish for exaggerated poses, twisted limbs, and grimaces. The brushwork is vigorous and expressive. My nudes, in contrast, are gentler, more graceful, with their elongated fingers and necks. They’re painted sparingly in warm, exuberant color harmonies. I am not insensitive to beauty, as illusory as it may be.
