1. Found and reclaimed materials permeate the artwork of Danny O’Connor, also
known as Danny O, from the used canvases he finds at thrift shops to the wood he
uses to frame his paintings.
Even the studio where you can find him most of the time now is reclaimed – an old
trailer that he moved into the woods on his property in the Berkshires.
Much like the materials and studio, Danny, 51, is reclaiming his life – as a father, as a
husband and, as an artist. Last year, Danny was diagnosed with tongue cancer and
began aggressive treatment, which drained him of energy. He lost 100 pounds. Now,
cancer free as of his last checkup, Danny has regained weight and is feeling
energized once again.
“In the last couple of months, my strength, will and ambition are coming back. Now,
I find I’m not tired, I’m excited, and I can’t wait to paint,” he says.
Encouraging words to hear from an artist who got his start as a teenager growing up
in a large family in the Nantasket Beach area of Greater Boston.
Over the years, Danny’s art has evolved. Early on, he was a collage artist, using
recycled materials to make his imaginative creations. “Ballboy,” his piece made from
11,430 balls found discarded in the waterways of Massachusetts, in 2005 was
included in the “Guiness Book of World Records” as the world’s largest ball mosaic.
Now, Danny is most passionate about oil painting and notes that the work of Milton
Avery has influenced his own approach of late. “His work was often criticized as
simple. I’ve found it to be visually intelligent,” he says. Other American masters have
been an inspiration for Danny as well, but more for their pursuits and struggles than
their actual body of work.
But there are contemporary artists such as Josh Jefferson who get him excited in a
different way. “They inspire me for how they pursue their artwork. They are
dogmatic in their approach…There is something really pure about their art.”
In addition to his own art, Danny still does commercial work and is a commissioned
portrait painter and freelance illustrator, among other things. All important pursuits
when you are working to support a family as he is. Danny and his wife have two
young children, a 4-year-old girl and a 2½-year-old boy, all of whom he appreciates
even more now that he is recovered from cancer.
It used to be when he painted, the children weren’t allowed to be in the studio. Not
any longer.
“I really embrace and cherish having the kids around while I’m painting. There’s
comfort in the chaos,” he says. Not unlike when he was growing up with three

2. brothers and three sisters. “I tell the kids not to touch anything while ‘Daddy’ is
painting, but of course they touch everything, and that’s OK.”
Mostly, he works in his studio in the woods now, even though he has another studio
in the city, because he can spend more time with his wife and children. But it’s also
what he calls his “go-to” spot, where he feels most liberated to create. Of course,
Danny added his own personal touch to the place, raising the roof by five feet and
incorporating old wood windows he found to bring in lots of light.
Before working full time as an artist, Danny was in the Navy, where he did
illustrations and “tightly rendered, Norman Rockwell-style, pro-Navy/Americana-
type work.” They even created a position just for him. For a while, he’d been a driver
for an admiral. But that didn’t last long. “The admiral told me I was a great artist but
a terrible driver.” His mind tends to wander while he drives, he admits.
“I have always been ambitious with my art; I’ve never been a timid artist,” he says,
noting that the power of his work opened doors for him. “At 19 years old, it
(working as an artist in the Navy) literally changed by life and my perspective of
myself. Art is a powerful tool and has made a lot of things possible for me.”
Now, his goal is to create works of art that can be handed down and appreciated
through the generations. You’ll find Danny and his work at South Portland’s 35th Art
in the Park show and sale in Mill Creek Park on Aug. 9.