Daniel Vergés - The Pursuit of Simplicity in Art & Life

Daniel Vergés is an artist and graphic designer who captures the essence of life in the American West through simple yet amazingly impactful paintings and drawings. Like many of my podcast guests, Daniel grew up obsessed with all things western—but unlike previous guests, Daniel grew up and currently lives in Spain, where he works and creates western-focused art in his rural studio. His life-long love of the West was solidified during the time he spent living and working on the Zapata Ranch, a 103,000-acre cattle and bison ranch located in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. • Despite living so far from the American West now, Daniel’s deep love of and respect for the landscape, people, and history would make you think he’s been here his entire life. Sometimes those of us who live in the West can lose perspective on just what a spectacular place it is, so I enjoyed learning more about Daniel’s perspective as someone who does not physically live here yet is heavily influenced by the West's landscapes and culture on a daily basis. If you ever find yourself getting jaded about life in the West, just listen to the way he describes mountains, prairies, ranches, and bison, then take a look at his art, and you’ll snap right out of it! • Daniel and I had a wonderful conversation that covered everything from life on the Zapata Ranch to his creative process. We chatted about his childhood interest in the West and his impressions of the wide-open spaces and wildlife during his first trip to Colorado. We discussed how the West influences his art, and how he strives for simplicity in his art and life. We talked about his collaborations with other artists, such as former podcast guest Camrin Dengel, and how these partnerships fuel his creativity. Daniel also discussed how his discipline of daily drawing and his passion for creating have driven his success as an artist. And as usual, we covered books, films, favorite places in the West, and much more, so be sure to check the episode notes for links to everything. • And there’s one more piece of exciting news—Daniel created a special painting for the Mountain and Prairie podcast featuring my favorite animal, the bison. It’s a super-cool piece, and I’m honored that he took the time to create something so special for the podcast. We discuss it a bit during our conversation, and I loved hearing how Daniel created it. Check out the podcast webpage to see it-- I set up a little online shop where you can buy shirts and hats featuring the art. There are links on the website to everything, so go check it out! • I know you’ll enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening. ••• http://mountainandprairie.com/daniel-verges/ ••• TOPICS DISCUSSED 3:00 - How Daniel describes his work 3:30 - Where Daniel lives 4:50 - Daniel’s experience on the Zapata Ranch 7:40 - The West’s influence on Daniel’s art 9:00 - The timeless feeling of the West 10:45 - Teambuilding through branding and ranching 11:40 - First impressions of the West 14:00 - Memorable experience from the ranches 15:40 - Learning horses 18:20 - Daniel describes his art 20:30 - Daniel’s artistic childhood 21:30 - Learning art in university, then self-teaching 24:10 - Slow Artworks 26:10 - How Daniel pushes himself artistically 28:45 - Dealing with creative block 31:30 - Lessons learned from Costa Rica 36:25 - Collaboration with Camrin Dengel and others 38:50 - Mentors and heroes 41:05 - How Daniel’s art has changed 43:50 - Managing social media 46:00 - The podcast artwork created by Daniel 49:00 - Japanese philosophy’s influence on Daniel work 52:05 - Advice to aspiring artists 55:55 - Favorite books 58:50 - Favorite films 1:01:30 - Hobbies, music, running, roping 1:03:20 - Most powerful outdoor experience 1:06:00 - Favorite location in the West 1:07:20 - Best advice 1:10:30 - Request of the listeners