Arts & Culture
8 November, 2026
Artist of the Week – Dani Vittz
Stuart Carless brings you this weeks artist of the week.
Where do you live and why do you choose to live there? If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?
I was living in Bundanoon and recently moved to Exeter NSW. To be honest, I can’t think of any other place to live. There’s so much space, peace and nature, which is the perfect mix for my creativity to flow.
How long have you been producing art?
From the age of four, I picked up a pencil and began to draw and haven’t stopped. I won’t say how long that’s been exactly, but it’s a long time!
At around 11 years of age, I was drawing scenes of old Sydney using ink on Canson paper and sold them to friends and family.
Professionally, I studied graphic design, illustration and over the years, I added caricatures, live caricatures at events and a bit of animation to my service list.
When did you first consider yourself an 'artist'?
From the time I was little, everyone would call me an artist because I constantly drew. So, I believed them.
How would you describe your work?
Bold, expressive and colourful in general. There’s a comical/ cartoony feel for most works, depending on whether I’m designing for myself or a client.
What is your favourite medium?
As a graphic designer, I definitely love Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It takes my work to another level.
As a professional illustrator/caricaturist – for digital work, Procreate app on iPad gives me a variety of brush options that suit my style. For anything hand drawn, Copic brush markers, inks, watercolours and pencils give me the best results.
As an artist – either inks or acrylic on canvas.
What inspires you as an artist?
Interesting, unusual faces full of character. If I draw for myself, it’s usually a portrait or caricature of people or animals.
Do you work alone or is art for you a social pursuit?
It’s a sole trader/solo business for me that covers a variety of services.
My client-based work includes logos, print design, social media promos, corporate illustrations, explainer videos and live caricatures at events.
On the artwork side, I’ve gone back to my earlier business of creating and selling hand-drawn art.
Social media has changed the way people interact with art and with artists. Galleries may no longer have the same relevance. Do you think that's a good thing?
Galleries are important for hand-created art. A large canvas does not have the same emotional impact on a small thumbnail on social media.
Hand-crafted work has its own energy and needs an audience to interact with that energy created by the artist. To me, it doesn’t matter whether someone likes or dislikes your work. What matters is that there is a reaction, and that means they felt something.
Digital art looks good on devices and can look similar when printed.
Thumbs up for galleries!
If you had some advice for your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t listen to negative comments and opinions. If your gut/ intuition tells you it’s a good thing, do it!
If you had some advice for people afraid of exhibiting their work or showing their work in public, what would it be?
Take a deep breath and take a chance! You will always have people who love your work and others who don’t like your work.
Everyone has different preferences; it’s normal.
So, focus on the positive comments and use the negative to maybe improve your work.
When you are not producing art, how do you spend your time?
Thinking about my next creative project. Sometimes, it’s how I’m going to rearrange my planter boxes or some sewing that needs finishing.
Who is the artist that you most admire?
In my early teens, someone gave a book called ‘The Comic Art of Norman Lindsay’. His cartoons inspired me to create comics and caricatures.
There’s a few from the impressionist era. Degas for the way he used light and dark in his ballet series. Marc Chagall for his colourful whimsical creations. Monet for the energy in every paint stroke.
How can people appreciate your work?
www.danivittz.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/danivittzillustration/
https://www.instagram.com/danivittz/
https://www.youtube.com/@DaniVittz
Merchandise - https://www.redbubble.com/people/danielav/shop
If you weren't an artist, what would you be?
Anything that allows me to be creative.
· CTC Robertson is currently hosting an exhibition of Dani’s work. The exhibition ‘a little bit of this, a little bit of that’, features an eclectic mix of original works, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition will be open until the end of January (closed December 24-January 13). CTC Robertson in Hoddle Street is open Thursdays and Fridays 10am-4pm and Saturday’s 9am-1pm.
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