Daniel Freaker was born in London in 1977. He studied BA Graphic Design, MA Fine Art and Art History and also has a post graduate teaching qualification. He lives and paints in Portsmouth on the south coast of the U.K.
How did you get into art?
If I am not learning then I feel unsteady and unsure of who I am and what I am doing. So, painting gives me the space to take creative risks and learn new things every day. I’m fascinated by the power of images, to tell stories, to touch on our shared experiences and talk to us in visceral ways. As a medium, paint has an immediacy from its drips and drops that is incredibly seductive.
How would you describe your style? What makes your art special?
My work is often described as though it has been left out in the rain. I see it sitting somewhere between abstract expressionism and figurative painting. Some elements are detailed and others are intuitive, gestural and expressive. There is enough form and definition to suggest recognisable spaces and objects. The subjects often feel lost like memories, the scenes feel like loss and sometimes painful, but the colours provide a balance and tension with this.
How do you go about developing your work?
I develop ideas through starting with a moment in my own life that feels raw and confusing, such as a break up or a stage of growing up. I explore this until I find something that would reflect that visually in a way that others can connect with. So, I think the work is both highly personal, yet also connected to others in a shared way. 
Who or what influences you?
I draw on a wide range of sources, especially literature and writers like Herman Hesse or film makers like Terence Malick and Tarkovsky who illicit a visual poetry and break the rules of traditional narrative. Music also plays a big role and I love the reckless abandon and intensity of rhythmic electronic music, the visual culture of music videos and fashion that surrounds this. Most of all it is the search for new experience and understanding that keeps me going.
What are you planning to do next?
I’m working on some new collaborations with different practitioners and brands. I love the cross pollination of different media and the new ideas this brings. For example, I am working with reflecting a perfume through painting and also collaborating with other artists in textiles, fashion and print. 
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