:: Dan Baldwin Prints ::

Bio

Baldwin has exhibited alongside Banksy,Jake and Dinos Chapman,Antony Micallef,Jamie Hewlett,Jamie reid,Tracey Emin,Julian Opie,Peter Blake,& Vic reeves, amongst many others.

He graduated in Illustration/communication media in 1995 from Maidstone school of art, before this he was at Eastbourne college of art..

He is based in West Sussex although born in Manchester.

His current work incorporates antique crucifixes, bullets, butterflys, bulletholes, kitchen knives, dollar bills, iraqi dina, spraypaint and emulsion. It deals with topics such as innocence, life-death, vanitas, love,politics, religion,and often all in one piece. He also shoots these paintings with a gun to achieve real bulletholes, adding a sinister realism to the work. The collecting of 'real' elements is a important part of the layering process.

He comments, “My work has always been about the fine line between the sinister and the beautiful. By presenting opposing elements I create a landscape of contradiction and suggestion. Vanitas made a lot of sense to me, when I discovered it, its use of symbolism was a reference to our mortality, the gun, the flower, the fly, the skull, etc – all referred to death being omni present.”

Paintings are never planned, but take on an organic spontaneous journey.

Recently he has been incorporating screenprinting alongside the layering of household paints and spraypaint.

He has featured on BBC2's THE APPRENTICE alongside Rob & Nicky Carter & Lucy Bennett.

Named as one of the top 5 artists in the country by Sir Alan Sugar.

His work has featured in spaces worldwide including the Basel Art Fair,(switzerland),The ICA, the windows of Londons SELFRIDGES, Forster Gallery,Catto Contemporary, The Leonard St Gallery, Lazinc Gallery,The New York Art Fair, London Art Fair,Gallerie Suty Paris,43 Molton St ,Opus,& Ink_d galleries, as well as the Zoo art fair at the Royal Academy, Pulse Miami,and Scope New York.

He has donated to many charity auctions alongside work by Matisse, Peter Blake, Tracey Emin,Billy Childish..Banksy and many others over the years.

He has featured in publications VOGUE, (june 07),ELLE magazine, LIVING ETC,MODERN PAINTERS,THE OBSERVER STYLE MAGAZINE,DAZED & CONFUSED,I.D MAGAZINE,THEME,PURE,BELIO (2 EDITIONS),ELLE DECORATION and ART OF ENGLAND to name just some.

Although primarily a painter, Baldwin produces wallpaper, clothing and sculpture, and in the past has been commissioned to create book covers & album covers for Overlook Publishers and Wall of Sound label.

Baldwin also produces ceramic vases that represent the more fucked up spontaneous side of his work. He comments, “Doodles are something I’ve done all my life. In 1996, I started ‘EVIL N SICK N NEED HELP’ which was a small book, which compiled my favourite doodles from thousands, I did 8 volumes!” He explores the contrast between a beautiful fired and glazed ceramic vase papered with provactive graphics such as skeletal birds on crucifixes, Adolf Hitler, teddy bears, crippled war heroes and hanging donkeys.

At Eastbourne college of art he was awarded best student in 1990, and again in 1995 was awarded a commendation from Maidstone school of Art (KIAD) for excellence in communication media. .

Since 1995 he has exhibited widely across the UK and more recently across the world.

It was back in 2005 where he realised there were a lot of correllations between the Vanitas movement of the 15th century, and what he was doing - symbolism, mortality, life and death, etc, yet in a pop candy coated mexican day of the dead approach.. his work is full of contradictions, good meets evil, life meets death, cynacism meets innocence, 'Enid Blyton meets the apocalypse' (Julie Carroll- press agent ink_d gallery) .

In 2007 Baldwin had three sell out shows in London, Newcastle and Brighton, as well as exhibitions in Basel Switzerland,Miami,Scope New York , London art fair and Zoo at the Royal Academy. .

His customised vespa bike was used in 2007 by Ben Sherman on their welcome home tour.

He was voted critics choice on the Saatchi gallery /your gallery website in sep 06 by ex-art review editor Rebecca Wilson.

Baldwin has never claimed to be 'urban' or 'street' although in 2008 was featured in Bonhams first 'urban' art auction - gaining a record price for a sale - (he studied fine art /illustration and communication media for 5 years , graduating in 1995 )- he does however, use spray paint in his cross media paintings.

Baldwins painting APOCALYPSE WOW THE END OF EVERYTHING recently sold for £25,200 at Bonhams first 'urban' art auction, (feb 5th 2008) .

Baldwins next solo show is launching on September 11th 2008 at FORSTER GALLERY, London.