artist’s vision: daniel anselmi

I recently received a note from collage artist Daniel Anselmi, asking if I would be interested in a pile of assorted paper – maps, rice paper, sheets of canson, vintage ads– as a donation to the ArtLab. The answer to this kind of question is always yes; it’s the reason we have a tub of odd leather scraps, fabric, yarn, large photographs, and lots of other great materials.

So I planned to stop by to pick up the paper, but it didn’t occur to me that I might get lost (for a good hour) in Daniel’s studio, looking at his work, hearing about his process, and ultimately making a mental note to remember that studio visits with other artists are always interesting, and I should have them on my calendar as a matter of course.

Stepping into Daniel’s studio is like stepping into a collage,

with layers of ideas and sketches, posted and positioned throughout the studio.

Everything in the space feels curated and considered;

everything surrounding the completed work is a palpable part of the process.

So it was no surprise for me to learn that in a past life, Daniel spent years as a visual display artist at Bloomingdale’s, the Boston Design Center, and elsewhere. His sensitivity to materials

along with his super-refined instinct for composing are felt throughout the studio

in both the materials used,

and the work created.

Whether working in 3 dimensions, as with these sculptures,

or in 2 dimensions, as with these works on board,

the luminous, painted layers, of canvas, cardboard, found objects and found paper convey a real love of line, shape, and color

that leave a strong imprint of the artist’s vision on the work, and on the viewer.

*Many thanks to Daniel Anselmi for both the studio visit and the excellent collection of paper donated to the CMCA ArtLab…