Dan Pearce is trying to explain what it is about his work that has seen him become one of the UK’s most in-demand contemporary artists.
“Art has a connection to people, it makes them feel an emotion,” he says. “I only have one objective as an artist: to try and engage the audience for a reaction, good or bad.” He pauses. “But for me it’s also fun. I love what I do, you can never take it too seriously, it’s not life or death. At the end of the day, it’s just fun.”
It’s that sense of fun, of provoking a reaction, of boundary-pushing exuberance, that sees Pearce count many household names among his clientele, including British acting and music heavyweights Idris Elba, Boy George, Rag N Bone Man and Lewis Capaldi, as well as boxing champ Antony Joshua.
And the word is spreading across the Atlantic. Rapper 50 Cent was a recent commission, and Pearce’s portrait of Sharon Osbourne – a riot of spray paint, ink, gold leaf and Swarovski crystals out of which Mrs O emerges in profile, wearing a crown and looking uncannily similar to the British Queen – became a viral sensation earlier this summer, racking up over 330,000 views on Osbourne’s Instagram page.
“Sharon did an amazing thank you post with Ozzy and it was commented on by a lot of her celebrity friends,” he says, “so I suppose once one celeb shows off my commission then others then want one and get in contact.
“One I am really looking forward to is an upcoming commission of Will.i.Am. I’m a huge fan of his, not just for his music but for his charity work and his love for innovation of creative technology. Technology is infused into the world of Will.i.Am as an essential element. It powers everything he does, so my commission will have to be something special that encompasses technology as well as himself.”
Pearce’s infectious passion for his work not only shines through in his creations, but also in the way he talks about them – if his paintings fizz with energy and enthusiasm, then so do his words. “For me being an artist, you never switch off,” he says. “I live, breathe and dream art! Sometimes that can be taxing as your brain can only consume so much creativity at once.”
It may come as a surprise to hear then, that he came to art relatively late in life. Born in Australia but raised in Britain, Pearce has only been a full-time artist for a decade, with his first exhibition just eight years ago, after a career that has variously included studying for a degree in jewelry and a stint in the digital industry.
He insists, however, that the urge to create was always there – and that all these disparate aspects of his professional career have helped shape the kind of artist he has become. Life, like art itself, is greater than the sum of its parts.
“I was always sketching as a kid and it’s what I enjoyed most at school,” he says. “I ended up in Uni doing a jewelry degree which was a bit random but something I really enjoyed, and I spent four years working with precious metals and stones which has had a huge influence on how I approach my art today. After that I lived in Australia for several years and ended up moving into the digital industry focusing on web and graphic design.
“I didn’t return to art until I was in my mid-thirties and became a full–time mixed media artist in my late thirties – which is a rather strange career path, but one I love to do every day, I don’t see it as a job.
“Because I came to the art game late, I had a whole tool box of skills that artists don’t usually get straight out of Uni. I had worked in a few industries and had experience of marketing, branding, web design/development, managing teams, presenting… all these experiences help me fast track the promotion of my art and myself.”
Celebrity commissions and endorsements aside, Pearce’s latest project has a far more personal and powerful theme. Hope, a collaboration with Prodigy frontman Maxim, is a multimedia installation featuring a sculpture of a young boy wearing a gas mask and preparing to pull the pin on a clear, resin grenade containing a heart, which represents the COVID-19 vaccine. The pair made 50 sculptures in total, and they are accompanied by a film – starring Pearce’s 11-year-old son – and an exclusive four-track EP release of new music by Maxim.
As well as highlighting hope for a way out of the pandemic, the film illustrates the impact the crisis has had on mental health, homelessness and child welfare. The artists have also donated sculptures to the British National Health Service charity Together, young people’s mental health charity YoungMinds and homeless charity Shelter, in order to raise funds for those hidden victims of the last 18 months.
Pearce is justifiably proud of the impact Hope has had – and of the ability for art to make a tangible difference to people’s lives.
“The positive feedback has been truly amazing,” he says. “It touched a lot of people. Folks can relate to the narrative. I am so proud of what we achieved, so so proud of my son playing the boy in the film and it was really good to be able to donate three sculptures to three charities that we highlighted.”
It’s a belief, and a mission, that he is taking into his next project.
“I am already working on another sculpture, a full size AK47 with a red heart shaped muzzle, angel wing ammo magazine and engraved John Lennon lyrics on the butt stock. Each one is hand painted. I am planning on working with War Child and donating some of the sculptures to help raise awareness for their amazing charity work.”
And in the meantime, a well-deserved summer off? No chance.
“My brain would never let me take time off! Even if I was relaxing by a pool I would be thinking about art. It’s what I love to do – and I’m lucky to be able to do it.”
