Daniel Mills

Daniel was born in 1976 in Devon, England.  He immigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1988 and went to secondary school in Lower Hutt.  Daniel studied Art, Craft and Design at the Marlborough branch of Nelson Polytechnic and the Erskine campus of the Learning Connexion, Wellington, graduating with an Honours Diploma in 1999.

Mural painting began for the artist in 1995 during his first year of study and continues in his work today. He works with Festivals, City Councils, Trusts, Schools, Businesses and Private individuals and has worked in New Zealand as well as Australia, Cambodia, France, Holland, Great Britain and Ireland.

Travel and painting have always gone hand in hand for Daniel, with some places holding a special resonance for him.  He currently lives in New Zealand’s far North where he feels a strong sense of the South Pacific. Daniel has spent extended periods in Paris, St Ives and Melbourne.  The last few years has been spent between New Zealand and the city of Prague, with his partner and some of his own ancestry being Czech; Prague has become a muse for the artist.

Daniel’s painting is always changing, although there is a core that remains present throughout, the work that comes from his studio could be described as Abstract Surrealism.  He naturally leans towards bright colours and expressive brush strokes, working predominantly with oil paint on canvas, he aspires towards an optimistic existentialism, whereas his murals are based on community consultation and design, Daniel’s studio and gallery works come from a subconscious, personal and intuitive place.