Domnoval

My name is Domnoval. I got caught stealing paper from the art supply room of my elementary school when I was in 4th grade. I can’t remember if I got in trouble, but I can still feel the texture and the weight of that heavy bleach white cardstock. The great paper heist of ‘95 took place in Rochester, MN where I was born and raised. I currently live and work in Minneapolis, MN Provincetown, MA and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

While pursuing my B.S. in Psychology at the University of Minnesota I always found solace in art classes. The creativity was an extremely beneficial balance and the structure of the class forced me to look at a piece in its entirety, from start to finish and submission and judgment. In hindsight it’s interesting to think how impossible it was for me to imagine myself as a professional artist, let alone entertain the idea. After graduating I held many positions that coworkers considered careers, as did I for the first six months. Consistently and almost inevitably boredom set in paving the way for the same panic inducing foresight of a future, rife with self-lobotomizing mundanity. And then there was paint.

There is one thing all the art I dabbled in as a kid and all the art classes I took throughout the years had in common, they weren’t paint. I never wanted to try painting because I perceived it to be so unruly and uncontrollable. If I couldn’t control it, then how could I be immediately good at it? And, if I am not immediately good at it, why try? Thankfully I did, and I was correct. Paint is unruly and I was not immediately good at it, but I stuck with it.

I mark the start of my professional art career the day I flew back from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after completing my first commissioned piece. not only was that the first substantial income from art but the first time I could call myself an artist without feeling like a complete fraud. the piece was a five by three acrylic and spray paint on canvas abstract interpretation of the vibe or feeling of Puerto Vallarta. My foundation is in Abstract and contemporary with acrylic and spray paint. But, as a friend once exclaimed, “your creativity doesn’t care, you’re like a medium agnostic.” TLDR, I like cool shit I try and make cool shit.

Instagram: @tonic_thought

Website: tonicthoughtstudios.com