Hamilton resident Daniel Foley is a new artist who gains his inspiration from old masters and has his art on display in a Hamilton bank.
“I don’t like the new art that is popular right now,” Foley said. “I feel like people are just doing a lot of whatever they feel is good art. One guy just painted a white piece of paper, I don’t think that is good art.”
Foley said he is trying to bring art “back to its roots” by studying artists such as Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell and hopes to have them “reborn in this age,” he said.
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His road to becoming an artist has had many side roads and detours.
“I’m 29 now and a high school dropout,” Foley said. “I was 18 when I dropped out and was into drugs and all that stuff, then I found God. I found Jesus and if it wasn’t for him I’d probably be dead or in jail, I was so into drugs. I got my GED then tried college but I can learn all this stuff on YouTube so now I’m a college drop out too.”
Foley said he is the fifth generation of his family in the Bitterroot Valley. Chaffin Lane in Corvallis is named for family on his mother’s side and Foley Lane is named for the ranch owned by his grandfather, Bill Foley.
“My family has been here for like 200 years,” he said. “I was born here and I love it. My grandfather, Jack Frank, is another big person to thank, he taught me so much about apologetics and how to study the Bible.”
Foley said he has held many odd jobs like being a satellite technician and helping on the ranch. He tried taking fighting seriously with the hopes of getting into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (a mixed martial arts company) and then thought he would be a missionary to Japan, but his heart and soul were in the arts.
“One day at church I met a retired art professor, it was really awesome,” Foley said. ”I was very lucky to meet him. He taught for 45 years in New Mexico and took me under his wing. I’ve been his student for three or four years. He wants to remain anonymous here but was a big deal in New Mexico.”
Foley completes odd jobs in the summer but in the winter he uses his time to recreate the work and styles of old masters. He mostly works with acrylic paints on canvas, canvas linen, or directly onto wood or Masonite board.
“Acrylic is easy to use, you don’t have to wait for it to dry and I’m used to it,” he said. “Eventually, I want to try oil but I’m not in a hurry, it is very expensive.”
Foley says he uses painting as a therapy but also as a way to help him feel a connection.
“I’ve tried so many things in my life,” he said. “I tried a lot of things but this seems to stick. I can be consistently good with this. I’ve always wanted to be a master at something. Painting helps me connect with Jesus and I feel like I’m connecting with the old-timers.”
Foley said he looked up to his grandfather, Bill Foley, who passed away at age 88 in 2017.
“He was a real old cowboy,” he said. “I thought it was cool what a hard worker he was and how he viewed life. I feel like when I’m learning from these artists I get to see into their souls through their paintings. They are my mentors and artistic guides. I watch biographies and read books about them too. There’s always a story behind each painting.”
Foley has an average of 50 hours of work in each of his paintings.
“Here’s the thing, a painting is never finished,” he said. “If I don’t just walk away then I’ll try to finish it forever. So saying ‘done’ is hard to do sometimes.”
He paints at home, in the home of his mentor teacher, or in the classroom with other artists. He said he enjoys being a hermit artist but is starting to take steps to reach out to the community.
“It’s time,” he said. “It’s only the beginning and I’m excited for the paintings to come. The best part about paintings is seeing them in person so hopefully, everyone will come to look.”
See the art of Daniel Foley at TrailWest Bank, 224 West Pinckney, across from Bitterroot Furniture in Hamilton.