DANIEL HOOPER

Daniel Hooper was born in Winchester and studied at the prestigious Westgate School. After enjoying a brief “art phase”, his artistic flair and creative eye remained, as he embarked upon a career in carpentry, which led him to extensively travel Europe, nurturing his skills and refining his knowledge that would subsequently assist him in creating unique works of art.

 

During respite from his work as a  carpenter, Hooper would utilise surplus paint and remnants from construction sites for his pieces, marking the origin of his signature style of painting on wood. Inspired by his surroundings, Hooper depicts a world forged by elemental forces of nature. Focusing on the environment and movement, such as birds in flight or marine creatures in water. He traverses between realism and abstraction, displaying an instinctive approach, as untamed and energetic as the natural world his pieces portray.

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“Nature is all around us, we just don’t see it,” explains Hooper, who stresses the importance of going back to basics in a distracting, modern world.

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His earliest work was promptly noticed by The Discerner magazine, which led to Hooper imminently becoming a featured Saatchi artist. Painting with uninhibited vigour and freedom, Hooper made the challenging transition from raw materials to traditional canvas to make his pieces more accessible to a broader audience. When creating his artwork, he still invokes techniques from his construction background. By initially painting in blocks, he slowly and competently builds up layers of paint to add movement and vitality to the finished piece. Hooper continues to work on canvas, but occasionally returns to his roots, working with timber and reclaimed materials, showcasing his dedication to creating powerful and unique pieces with soul.