Portrait of an Artist: Dana Mooney

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      There's something about Dana Mooney—perhaps her youthful charisma or her passion for interior design—that makes her particularly unique among Vancouver painters.

      Driven to make the world more beautiful (first as a make-up artist and now as a painter), Mooney paints with her audience in mind.

      A vast audience of design lovers will appreciate her work this weekend at the Interior Design Show West held at Vancouver Convention Centre West.

      Prominently on display in “The District” area will be her signature Birch Series, her main art focus at the moment, which “draws on the bright and colourful elements of femininity”.

      “My clients are often connected to them—they remember the trees from their childhood or during a point of transformation and growth,” she says. “The Birch Series comes natural to me. I found that the other birch paintings in the industry were quite dark and heavy—I decided to take a different spin on it. The colours that I work with are based on memory, or client appeal—often ranging from traditional and modern colour palettes, or anything in between.”

      "Natural Birch".
      Dana Mooney

      Mooney’s acrylic, ink, and pigment pieces primarily originate from unplanned, instinctive creative surges. For inspiration, she looks to the boldness of street art near her West End apartment or, to a new season—which, she says, “always brings new fashion and colour trends, like bright neon and pastel”.

      When Mooney isn’t working on her birch trees, she likes to coat her canvases with lively abstract brush strokes. The abstract pieces, she says, better reflect her style: “I like playing around with my own colour palette preferences on the canvas. My watercolour paintings are also for personal reflection. I like to do these on the side, because I always grew up doing it—it brings me back to my carefree childhood memories.”

      "Unsophisticated", 2014.
      Dana Mooney

      Her abstract pieces, featured at the Cross Decor and Design in Yaletown, originated from a moment of inspiration less than two years ago.

      “I was painting in my studio and a ray of natural light came through my window and rested on my canvas. The sharp angle and direction really inspired me. After that moment I started to play around with movement in my paintings and different colour combinations.”

      "Spring Shadows".
      Dana Mooney

      While she isn’t watching for the latest fall trends, or trying to stay up to date with her social media outlets, Mooney participates in local Vancouver art happenings throughout the city. Following her exhibit at the District, she'll be participating in a pop-up show in December with the Chinatown Experiment.

      See Mooney’s works for sale and rent. Follow Mooney on Twitter at @danamooneyart.

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