For incarcerated father and artist Danny Velasquez, the language of art has continued its singular universality as he found his way of life through his art. His ultimate goal remained to share his story with his family and his beloved son, Little D.
At the time of his arrest, his only son had just turned five months old. For his son to grow up in the absence of his father has remained a hard pill for Velasquez to swallow, so Velasquez continued to explore various ways of expressing his fatherly love by painting his innermost thoughts.
“I create art not only to bring my share of color to the world, but also as a way to immortalize myself, to make my mark in the world like, ‘Hey, Danny was here,’” said Velasquez. “Each brush stroke is that moment in my life time that I am able to capture.”
The artist said he felt that people departed from this world by leaving things behind. Velasquez said he wanted to leave behind a part of his spirit through his art.
Art represented not only a vision for Velasquez, whose distinctive way to express his creativity let him create art with a narrative, allowing for his collection to tell stories. One of his art pieces showed a man with his family, telling viewers how the man’s story began and how it could have ended.
According to the artist, he allowed his art to speak through symbolism. His work has an esoteric quality that the artist has always called “consciously or subconsciously reliable.” As an example, for Velasquez, a giraffe represented new beginnings. An illustration of a father and a child meant to convey the father teaching his child. Another work showed someone falling in love.
Velasquez has titled his pieces to highlight their narratives and their purpose. He titled one work Art Lessons, A Boy and His Dad, a work depicting how much a father would like to guide his son through life. Another painting showed a father pointing his finger at a painting in an imaginary museum.
The work My little Prince also reflected fatherly love. Velasquez praised his family for his son remaining comfortable during his father’s incarceration. Velasquez’s work Gemology showed a boy and his father, depicting the idea that trade has a faceless quality. The work’s objective meant to teach his son a good trade that would give him the ability to earn an honest living.
Velasquez’s art also has a commercial aspect. He made a Green Bay Packers hat that showed the football team’s logo, and Velasquez said for many incarcerated football fans, art representing their favorite teams allowed for a way to pass time. The multi-faceted artist also created lizards and jewelry from soap bars and said he enjoyed composing poetry. Prior to his incarceration, Velasquez sold precious stones and fine jewelry.
Velasquez said he refused to let incarceration deprive him of his inner freedom. During some of his darker moments, art has remained his best ally and the hidden purpose that kept him going in life.
