By Ashley Stewart
Joseph Daily was born an artist. Both of his parents were freelance illustrators working out of their home studio. That meant being surrounded by art supplies and art making, which Daily calls “a real blessing.” His first intent, however, was not illustration but cartooning and comics. That is until he began to take art classes in high school. Upon drawing his first self-portrait while a sophomore, the young artist’s life came to a turning point. He saw his future clearly as a classical, naturalistic painter.
After high school, Daily moved on to the School of Visual Arts (New York City). With classical painting ateliers just coming into being at the time (1999-2003), the only program that offered traditional drawing and painting techniques was illustration. So, as an illustration major, he took a life painting class by instructor Marvin Mattelson, who fortuitously was transitioning from illustration to commissioned portraits. Daily absorbed Mattelson’s methodology as much as possible. He saw portraiture as a means to practice his craft without compromising his integrity and to support himself through art.
Despite his hard work and talent, commissions were difficult to come by at first. For a brief period, Daily resorted to house painting to make ends meet. Happily, he never compromised on his vision. He scraped together his dwindling funds and in his spare time created a full-length portrait of his father-in-law. That painting won both Best in Show and People’s Choice awards at the Portrait Society of America 2005 exhibition. Around the same time, he met Minnie S. Churchill of The Churchill Foundation. With the win and the business of the Foundation, Daily’s career was launched. Over the next 5 years he created more than 80 portraits in the United States and United Kingdom. Daily says, “it was a wild ride.”
Daily now works out of his studio on a bucolic farm in Vestal, New York. Although his favorite subject is his wife Maria, he has continued to create beautiful commissioned portraits. Most recently, he was named a finalist by the Portrait Society of America for his painting of Edith Mitchell, MD. Daily took into account her brilliant career as the director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, professor of medicine and medical oncology, and president of the National Medical Association. Perhaps more importantly, Daily took it upon himself to explore Dr. Mitchell’s personal experience. He says that she felt, as a woman of color, that she needed to prove herself doubly and triply. She also was a brigadier general in the Air Force — the very first woman physician to be named to that rank. Taking this into account, Daily selected awards and accolades for display in the painting, including a glass stethoscope that the two of them selected from her display case. He also included a Tuskegee Airmen model fighter plane, which Dr. Mitchell held dear. This brilliant portrait was revealed at an emotional ceremony in 2022. Before the painting was selected as a finalist, Dr. Mitchell passed away unexpectedly, making the selection of this portrait all the more poignant.
Many portraitists name John Singer Sargent as a favorite artist, and Daily is no exception. William Bouguereau tops his list as well. He also lists several paintings as favorites in terms of execution, including Sargent’s “Lady Agnew of Lochnaw,” Waterhouse’s “Lady of Shallot,” Bougereau’s portrait of Gabrielle Cot, and Rembrandt’s portrait of Herman Doomer.
When asked if he has any advice for a new artist, Daily says there are plenty of educational opportunities to consume, including YouTube, books and videos for purchase, and Patreon subscriptions. Remote instruction and personal mentoring are also solidly in place in the age of remote meetings. His advice is to start with social media and follow every artist one admires. A number of those will offer educational materials or directions on how he or she was educated.
Daily is also a teacher. He likes to give his students practical tools for expression, especially in executing the illusion in three-dimensionality. This, he believes, is the key to clearly expressing what the student has in his or her heart. He recognizes that there are infinite ways to make a successful piece, and therefore provides his personal way of practicing his technique rather than prescribing a way of working. In that way, he feels that workshops are invaluable to all artist, precisely because they are limited. He can walk artists through his own painting and decision-making process, with the goal of participants incorporating whatever they found valuable in the process.
Joseph Daily will be leading a workshop, sponsored by the Portrait Society of Atlanta, September 19-21, 2024, at Chastain Arts Center in Atlanta. He will provide a special demonstration of his working methods September 22, 2024, at the North Shallowford Annex, 4470 N. Shallowford Road, Atlanta. Registration is required for either event.