Daniel Kotynia - getting on with life

These days, Daniel is a student of Fine Art continually pushing the boundaries of painting in acrylic and spray-can on canvas as he studies for a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Utas. Quite quickly Daniel decided to make a go of a painting career and became an exhibitor in the BlueThumb Gallery. His career has not looked back since. 

Daniel maintains that developing a personal style and a point of difference is the key to a painter's success. Certainly Daniel's whimsical sense of humour not only lifts his own mood but the mood of the art lovers who browse his work as well. Imagine Hip Hop Howl on your bedroom wall. Waking up to an aura of lightheartedness would certainly start the day well. And of course, end it well too for that matter. 

Reading about Daniel imparts the idea that happiness is a matter of choice. But is attaining this state of happiness that easy?

Read on and we will see, 

Daniel says that he has mixed the extreme experiences of a soldier, paramedic, and father with a bit of humour and in doing so has devised a recipe for a sensitive yet uplifting approach to painting. 

After leaving school I was doing a variety of odd jobs playing rugby and having fun. I joined the Army reserves – which was fun so transferred to the regular army in about 2001. I was infantry – the guys that are the frontline. I went to Timor in 2002 as a peacekeeper doing patrols along the Indonesian border and manning outposts. It was a good experience and there were no major incidents

Toothy Creatures1

But then in 2004 Daniel was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. It only took a 30 minutes in the country before it became evident that this would be a very different deployment. The airport where Daniel landed came under mortar attack! Although the official war with Iraq had ended, there was a major insurgency going on with many factions setting off car bombs, rocket attacks, mortar attacks, gunfire and random people taking pot shots at Daniel and his friends.

By the time Daniel returned to Australia, he had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but in hindsight the condition had remained undiagnosed. When Daniel left the Army he moved back to Tasmania. Unaware of his vulnerability  Daniel became a paramedic and worked within this taxing profession for 14 years. When PTSD  caught up with him he was unable to work any longer. Many would have caved at this point, but Daniel's life took a turn for the better.

Not being able to work came as a shock and Daniel struggled with questions of purpose and identity. Tentatively enrolling at uni, Daniel thought he would be able to handle the part-time workload.

Encouraged by his lecturers, and after about a year, he began exploring his military experiences. He created many charcoal drawings, prints and paintings that helped him process the traumas of war. The therapeutic aspects of his artworks didn't cure his PTSD, but certainly he copes with the after effects of trauma a lot better now.

Daniel set himself up at Bluethumb and describes the portal as an excellent way to enter the commercial side of art. He has grown the confidence to put his work out there, now seeing himself a person who is worthy of doing art.

Our society incorrectly correlates success in art with money e.g. a good artist is someone who sells their art for a lot of money. I sell mine to fund my continuing need of art supplies, and to make space in my home. My paintings are everywhere and I need the space. I have only been selling my paintings for 12 months

It is no surprise then that The Australian War Memorial acquired a series of Daniel's prints. He is not in any other physical galleries. He entered the Napier Waller Art Prize and has had his work displayed at Parliament House, Canberra, and The Henry Jones Art Prize for emerging art prizes.

Art can be a lonely process and getting recognition from time to time is a great way to keep motivated. We make art to be seen and to tell our stories – exhibitions and prizes are a great way of getting exposure.

Through these processes Daniel has found his voice. Art is storytelling, and by telling his story Daniel has moved forward and through his experiences to become an important part of the vital art scene in Tasmania and also has a much wider reach through Bluethumb.

When asked about his artistic influences Daniel said

I admire Ben Quilty.  He does big bold paintings, tells a uniquely Australian story and is happy to delve into those big controversial topics and take a stand.

Also, Basquiet is interesting because he did simple well. He was also doing stuff that no one had ever done before. You can see his influences in heaps of Artists' works.

Van Gogh because he was crazy (been there – done that) and was happy painting for the love of it when no one else could appreciate it. He is now known as perhaps the greatest ever painter.

His greatest influence is the stillness and peace in the Tasmanian bush, beach or highlands. The peace and tranquility of the bush is the antidote for when Daniel's head tends races and he struggles to do things in an order.

Being in the Tasmanian wilderness helps me find my centre and lets me be fully present. 

So from PTSD,  Daniel gradually became an alcoholic but found it hard to accept that he didn’t have any control over alcohol. He was in denial for a long time, and says that he didn’t realise he was an alcoholic.

Getting smashed and not remembering anything, feeling constantly hungover and on edge just seemed normal cause I surrounded myself with other alcoholics and people that behaved the same way.

Daniel Kotynia. Acrylic  61 x 91.5cm

Eventually, Daniel started seeing psychologists for treatment of traumas and started following their instructions. Now the impact alcohol on his life came into clear view, bit now with this level of clarity  and with the support of those he now chooses as his friends and colleagues, he has been sobre for  2 years. He now realises that he can have fun without alcohol and he now has a new found sense of responsibility for and accountability to his own self. He has developed a sense of resilience and realises that no matter what happens he can cope. He is aware of his own happiness levels and at times when these take a dip he asks "What has got to change?".

He advises others to,

 Make those changes – always keep trying to be a better person. No matter how deep your hole…there is always a way out to a good place.

Daniel has finished this conversation by noting that just about everyone he knows has been supportive of his artistic journey. This resonates with the idea that when people see positive changes they don't care about whether the person is a rip roaring financial success.. Becoming engrossed by an artistic career, addressing trauma and beating alcohol these are the things that matter.  Daniel does sell very well by the way, but this monetary success is not the measure of the man. Daniel's success comes from the pleasure he can share with others by taking a proactive, healing stance . 

If you like Daniel's painting read more about his artwork. Daniel Kotynia - from the extreme to the sublime.