Dan Hobday on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dan Hobday. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A typical day starts with coffee, because, let’s be honest, without it, there’s not much chance of art happening. I’ll head to the gym, brave the sauna, make something to eat, then wander out to my garden studio. Most of my time is spent staring at blank canvases, trying to persuade paint to behave itself. Between brushstrokes, there’s a fair bit of sketching, photographing, and the occasional long stare out at the countryside, pretending to think deeply.

By the end of the day (usually about three hours… four if I’m feeling particularly inspired), I’m covered in paint, the studio’s a state, and there’s hopefully a new piece that feels like it might be going somewhere. It’s equal parts chaos, curiosity, and quiet, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an artist from the UK, Devon, on the south coast of England, who spends most of his time trying to make simple things look interesting. I create minimalist, modern abstracts, and land and seascapes that focus on texture, balance, and calm.

I’ve been drawing since I was a child and somehow managed to turn that childhood habit into a career after 20 years working as a graphic designer, which still feels slightly suspicious. My art is available with many online art stores globally, which I’m told makes me sound much more professional than I feel most days.

What makes my art special (apart from the occasional accidental fingerprint) is that it’s all about creating calm, timeless pieces that help people slow down a bit. I’m currently working on new originals and print collections, and yes, still cleaning paint off things that should never have had paint on them in the first place.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Probably a lad covered in pencil shavings, doodling faces and odd little creatures on anything that stayed still long enough. I don’t think I ever really stopped, I just graduated from the back of school books to proper canvases. So before the world told me who to be, I was already quietly ignoring it and getting on with my own thing anyway.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
I think someone truly listened to me once, but to be fair, I was the only one in the room, so it doesn’t really count.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to think being an artist was about chasing perfection. Now I know it’s about knowing when to stop before you ruin the bit that was actually working.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’d like people to say that I left a little space in the world for quiet moments, that my art made them pause, even if just for a second, and notice something they hadn’t before. That I didn’t take myself too seriously, that I made mistakes, laughed at them, and somehow turned them into something worth looking at. If they feel a flicker of surprise or a quiet smile while thinking about it, that’s exactly the story I’d hope they tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.danhobday.com
• Instagram: @danhobdayartist
• Other: https://wonderwallstudio.com/dan-hobday/