Daily Inspiration: Meet Duncan McDaniel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Duncan McDaniel.

Hi Duncan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was in my preteens, I liked drawing my favorite comic characters. I was attracted to the darker ones, Venom, Batman, Ghostrider, etc. Visually they seemed a bit more complex to me. This hobby encouraged my drawing skills in art class, leading to my teacher encouraging me to attend art college, where I studied Illustration and Painting. I moved to France and then ran out of money and my visa, so I had a bittersweet return to Tennessee in 2007. I got involved in the Nashville art scene by leasing space in the Arcade and working as a part-time art handler at the Frist. Over the years, I met some great people who helped me to show my paintings and installations wherever I could, the basement of tattoo parlors, coffee shops, the Belcourt, restaurant bathrooms, etc. All while simultaneously growing clients as an art installer, now adding the airport and Cheekwood to the client list. In 2012 I was asked to lead a crew moving all of the art and precious objects out of the State Capitol, a huge and intimidating job that inspired me to start art Up to look more official. That same year I got my toe in the public art sector by designing bike racks for metro arts. You may have seen them. There is one on 12th south; it looks like the sound sliders from a mixing board. Shortly after, a British artist named Bruce Munro did a major light installation throughout Cheekwood gardens. One of his crew members was a lovely lady I fell madly in love with. I was 30 years old when all this happened. Fast forward 10 years, and everything just seems to grow exponentially. The public art sculptures are now scattered throughout the country. I finally got gallery representation with the Red Arrow Gallery, and I have my first museum exhibition next year at the Parthenon. Art Up has 6 employees and installs art everywhere in the US. The lady from the light installations married me, and we now have two lovely daughters.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, every year comes with a new set of challenges. In the early days, I battled with insecurity and worried about proving myself constantly. As my life and career got more complex, I have struggled to overcome challenges like managing a business and performing on time and within a budget. I always got there in the end, but those challenges seem to come exponentially with each year. Some days I yearn for when I was just a man with a tape measure and a hammer making art that resembled my favorite comic characters. Just as I think I have it all figured out, life blinds me with the next stressful things to overcome. Someday I’ll get back there again.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an interdisciplinary artist to promote an awareness of place using light, color, sculptural design elements, and playful interaction. After Graduating from SCAD in 2006, I embarked on a creative journey by exploring my aesthetic and how it spontaneously influences my interpretation of the world around me. My process covers a wide range of techniques ranging from oil paintings, drawings, public art, and site-specific installations. I am always searching for a better artist within myself through these multiple avenues. This open-ended journey always leads me somewhere new and uncharted, with many images to show. In addition to being a visual artist, I founded an Art Up Nashville art installation company. We are a museum and fine art handling service that installs and handles objects in Museums, Universities, galleries, hotels, and the Airport. Anywhere you could imagine art going up.

Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Great things in your career rarely happen in a day. It takes years of showing up and being present for the work you love to be recognized and understood.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.duncanism.com
• Instagram: duncan-mcdaniel artupnashville