Today we’d like to introduce you to Dusty Dangero.
Hi Dusty, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story starts as a hooligan in art college. My roommate and I had nothing better to do on a Friday night, so we decided to break into campus with a box of chalk. There was this big 4×6-foot abandoned chalkboard floating around, so we snuck it into a classroom to graffiti it with a quote. We casually left the scene of the crime for everyone to discover the board on Monday morning. After that, we were hooked. We went back the next week. And the next. We started signing the board #Dangerdust. I started an Instagram account to share our weekly drawings. 24 weeks later, we had illustrated 24 quotes on that same chalkboard and graduated with a business.
Now, over 10 years later, I run Dangerdust solo from my home studio in Charlotte. Originally, I only used chalk to handletter and illustrate quotes, but as a lover of making things, I use whatever medium I can get my grubby hands on. Drawing, painting, carving, collage, printmaking, designing mobiles… Dangerdust has become a place where I get to combine my graphic design background with my love of good old-fashioned hands-on creating, and the joy of sharing it with other people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have a very fertile mind, which gives me this wonderful ability to think of every possible scenario. It’s a gift when I know how to use it, but it can also get the better of me. Learning how to quiet some of that noise with the help of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been a big part of my journey as an artist and business owner. Learning to recognize those patterns has helped me make better decisions and give myself more room to experiment.
I’ve also had to learn to listen to my body. Years of working intensely with my hands eventually led to tendonitis, which forced me to slow down and rethink how I work. Both experiences pushed me away from the idea that I always need to be producing and toward finding a more sustainable way to work. I needed to step away from chalk and find something that would soothe me. And that’s how my current graphic landscape series started. Nature has always been a catharsis for me. And it just happened that right when this series found me, the pandemic hit and other people needed an oasis too.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Everything I create is under the name Dangerdust, but you can call me Dusty. I’m a solo female artist working from my home studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s also where I run my print studio with my furry, stripy assistant. I design and illustrate every piece myself, and then prepare the artwork for print using a printing process called giclée. This is basically a fancy art world way of making really beautiful prints, capturing an incredible amount of detail, color, and subtlety from the artwork. I then print them onto museum quality fine art paper. My prints are meant to last a lifetime and hopefully be handed down to the next generation.
It’s also always been important to me to offer art prints at accessible prices, because I believe everyone should have access to quality art in their home. All prints are hand signed and packed by me. This part of my job is very human. Knowing that there’s a real person on the other end who cared enough about my work to bring it into their home fills me with gratitude. Some customers have been with me since the very beginning in 2013, when I originally sold chalk prints.
Currently, my graphic landscape series prints are available on my website. It’s a soothing, minimalist, nature driven series designed to create a sense of calm. It’s my way of exploring our connection to nature and creating space to pause and breathe. And as a born and raised North Carolinian, there’s also a healthy dose of my home state throughout the series.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Get out! I’ve learned that in order to make art, I need to give myself time to actually live. Go outside. See people. Go on artist dates. Move my body. Yoga has been a really important part of my daily maintenance as an artist. And remembering that creating comes in ebbs and flows. Some of the best things I’ve made have come from letting myself play without thinking about whether anyone will see it, buy it, or even understand it. I have to give myself permission and time to make things I like just because I feel like it. It might feel selfish at first, but I’ve learned that when I take care of myself, I have more to give to the people around me.
Also, knowing that I don’t need to share or sell everything I make. Creating is meant to be fun and a safe place to experiment and grow. I’m still learning and practicing all of this. I just never want to stop being curious and open to new experiences, because you never know where they’ll lead.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dangerdust.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ddccad
