MAKER PROFILE: DANIEL KILLEEN

Daniel Killeen creates paintings, jewellery and glassware inspired by the natural world, in particular Scottish landscapes. Daniel's pieces are both decorative and functional.

1. What is your favourite piece you've ever created?
I seem to be teaching myself new skills a lot of the time so I am often excited about the new thing i'm doing in the moment. But my favourite pieces are the black glass and gold bowls that I make. They are so fragile and I love the process of revealing the glass form when removing it from the plaster that thay have been fired onto. They are different each time and I love laying the gold  

2. What is your proudest achievement as an artist/maker?
It's still to come...

3. How would you describe your style?
Experimental Expressive Explorative and Eclectic  

4. What is your ultimate goal for your work?
If I knew the answer to this question I might not have a reason to work anymore.  

5. What kind of things inspire you?

I look a lot to nature. Scottish highlands and islands mostly and I make a couple of research trips a year to the highlands and islands to draw, paint and think. I'm also inspired by other people's creative skills, motivation and seeing amazing things that other artists make.

6. What customer do you have in mind when you design?
Generally I'm excited about the shapes, designs, technique that im using at the time and I don't have an audience In mind. Its probably not a good business plan but I can't help following the flow of my creative tangents.
     
7. Is the idea of creative collaboration important to you?
Not particularly although I have worked with others and have found it to be as exciting as it is stressful... It can be amazing to see the results when different disciplines mix.  

8. What has been the greatest influence on your artistic career?

I'd say it was when I met a glass artist who said 'why don't you try making that in glass' and he showed me how. Then I realised I could teach myself new skills with occasional help from friends and I'm still enjoying that journey.

9. Which is more important in your work- the process or the product?
 I get excited about a new idea and enjoy the process of getting to the point of a final product.  I tend to make things that have lots of different elements before there is a finished piece that makes the process longer and more enjoyable for me .  

10. What is the most important lesson you've learned as an artist/maker?
Some one once said to me 'No one said being and artist was going to be easy!'
so from that I figured to say “Whatever it is that your doing creatively, take it seriously, always do it, adapt and do it to your best ability.”