Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Holliday .
Hi Dana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always enjoyed art and being creative. In grade school, I wasn’t an outstanding student. In reality, I had learning disabilities in math and grammar but didn’t know until a student at UNCG. Art was an area I always did well in and could receive positive attention. My parents supported my creativity, and my mother was my first real teacher as she was always doing something artsy. She graciously allowed me to paint my furniture, walls, and clothing. Unsurprisingly, my first jobs were painting lamps and furniture and then becoming an established faux finisher at the International Furniture Market in High Point, NC. I also painted murals in showrooms and soon moved on to painting large walls on the exteriors of buildings. I have traveled quite a bit to create commissioned art for homes in Breckinridge, Colorado, Bald Head, NC, and New Zealand. I have also taken workshops in England and Mexico. The class in Mexico in 2015 was part of my transition into the Encaustic Wax medium.
I had turned 50 and knew it was time to push for more. After years of commercial art and being told what to create, it was challenging to become my artistic self. Encaustic Wax is a process of painting with bees Wax that goes back to the Egyptians and Romans’. I love it because it’s a painting with fire! I use a blow torch to fuse the Wax. I now create art from my heart and love sharing through demonstrations and classes. And I still manage to paint some pretty cool interior murals. I also am a community, board, and volunteer junkie! I love my community.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Self-confidence. I think they call it imposter’s syndrome! I also was a single parent for 15 years, so I had to pay the bills for myself and 2 sons. Sometimes I had to be humbled and do regular painting and staining in homes and showrooms, but I had bills to pay, so I did what was needed. The new challenge with the Encaustic Wax wasn’t my ability. It is how and where do I sell?!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Honestly, I feel my website danaholliday.com shows who I am. If you watch the video, in the end, scene, I am painting a 30′ tall tree mural outside and zooming up in the zip lift. It still brings a rush. That is probably my favorite piece; It was a huge challenge and came at a very transitional time in my life. If you look closely, my cap reads, “Women who behave rarely make history.” I want everyone to feel that way. My goal in life is not to be rich or famous. My goal is to be remembered as helping others and leaving them with the confidence to be their best.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My mother is from England, and we visited our family there when I was 12. I was fortunate to see Van Gogh’ ‘s “Sunflowers” on Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Wow! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danaholliday.com
- Instagram: dana.holliday.artist
- Facebook: Dana Holliday, Mural Artist
