DANIEL ROMAINE
Daniel Romaine was born in Sydney. While the Assimilation Era led to estrangement from his cultural heritage, he reconnected with it later during his working life. Daniel studied art until leaving school in 1988 and while he had excelled at music and art he was raised in a strict family with an ethos of ‘get a real job and use your brain – art and music is not the way’. Daniel chose to study engineering and joined Qantas.
Being taught painting techniques by his great uncle and father, he always painted in a fine dot style and the paintings were gifted to family, friends and charitable causes. Daniel always felt he had a responsibility to put something back into the lives and community of his people as his education had provided the opportunity for him to make his own choices in life. So in 1997 Daniel resigned from his position as an Avionics Engineer with Qantas and moved to Western Australia to begin working in Aboriginal Affairs.
Daniel has spent time in the Pilbara, Western Australia. It was here that he found his ancestral realm while traversing this ancient land negotiating Native Title. He also worked professionally within the community on Palm Island, Queensland.
Daniel lives and works in an artistic house he built using the natural resources found on the bush property on the Sunshine Coast. His painting talents have been discovered and this emerging urban artist has sold works quicker than he can paint them, with many of them going to discerning overseas buyers locally and throughout Australia as well as Hong Kong, USA, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
Most elements of his work are intrinsically related to landscape where flora and fauna and ancient landforms provide a rich source of inspiration. His paintings show intricate mapping of a myriad of places and events in abstract form. Daniel’s care and dedication to producing fine, detailed work allows him to create only a limited number of pieces each year and he tends to work in “bursts’ with long periods of reflection between. His main influence comes from the shapes, colours and textures of the landscapes. The unique contrasting areas he has seen on his travels appear in his paintings – ranging from the stark red desert in Western Australia to the rich ocean life surrounding Palm Island. His paintings have been entered in the Telstra NT Art Award and an entry into the Winnie and Archibald Prize is a personal goal.
Daniel says: ‘Visions of landscapes appear to me in dots, sometimes they are familiar and other times they are unknown. It is as if my indigenous ancestors are creating the art through me. The visions of landscape are unpredictable and they stay with me – almost haunting me – until they are painted. My main influences come from the shapes, colours and textures of the landscapes. With every new painting I challenge myself to a more difficult use of technique to create an accurate representation of the landscape I see in my vision. I aspire to produce artworks that people look at and see the image as clearly as I do “Like a photo in the mind” and then feel the peaceful energy of the natural landscape that has been shaped by the elements over time. Due to the limited number of pieces I can produce in a year I am now offering prints of my work so that more people can share the images of my visions. I hope that my work gives people pleasure and a sense of peace in spirit as it gives me great peace in my heart to paint images of our untamed, uniquely contrasting but extremely beautiful country Australia’.
Daniel believes art can bring peace and harmony to people’s lives it is this ethos that donates all print sale profit to indigenous charity.
Daniel says: ‘Visions of landscapes appear to me in dots, sometimes they are familiar and
other times they are unknown. It is as if my indigenous ancestors are creating the art
through me. The visions of landscape are unpredictable and they stay with mealmost
haunting meuntil they are painted’.
Daniel Romaine was born in Sydney and grew up in Redfern. While the Assimilation Era led
to estrangement from his cultural heritage, he reconnected with it later during his working life.
Daniel studied art until leaving school in 1988 and while he had excelled at music and
art he was raised in a strict family with an ethos of ‘get a real job and use your brain- art
and music is not the way’. Daniel chose to study engineering and joined Qantas.
Being taught painting techniques by his great uncle and father, he always painted in a fine
dot style and the paintings were gifted to family, friends and charitable causes. Daniel
always felt he had a responsibility to put something back into
the lives and community ofhis people as his education had provided the opportunity for him to make his own choicesin life. So in 1997 Daniel resigned from his position as an Avionics Engineer with Qantas andmoved to Western Australia to begin working inAboriginal Affairs.
Daniel spent time in Esperance and then the Pilbara, working for BHP Billiton’s Aboriginal
Affairs Department. It was here that he found his ancestral realm while traversing this
ancient land negotiating Native Title. He also recentlyworked professionally within the
community on Palm Island, Queenslandand is now recognise as a anIndigenous Relations
Specialist.
.
He lives and works in an artistic house he built using the natural resources found on the bush
Propertyin Pomona, SunshineCoast Queensland. His painting talents have been
discovered and this emerging urban artist has sold works quicker than he can paint them,
with many of them going to discerning overseas buyers locally and throughout Australia as
well as Hong Kong, USA, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.Daniel’s Works have been exhibited at various galleries including:GroupExhibition –
Yurlunggur
Gallery Milton, Brisbane QLD
GroupExhibition-
Jive Art Gallery Hastings Street Noosa, Sunshine Coast QLD
Solo Exhibition-
Without Pier Gallery Cheltenham Melbourne VIC
Most elements of his work are intrinsically related to landscape where flora and fauna and
ancient landforms provide a rich source of inspiration. His paintings show intricate mapping
of a myriad of places and events in abstract form. Daniel’s care and dedication to
producing fine, detailed work allows him to create only a limited number of pieces each
year and he tends to work in “bursts’ with long periods of reflection between. His main
influence comes from the shapes, colours and textures of the landscapes. The unique
contrasting areas he has seen on his travels appear in his paintingsranging from the stark
red desert in Western Australia to the rich ocean life surrounding Palm Island.