{"id":146624,"date":"2024-02-09T10:04:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T15:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=146624"},"modified":"2025-08-12T19:12:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T23:12:41","slug":"drawing-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2024\/02\/09\/drawing-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawing attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wright State fine arts graduate Andrew Dailey created \u201cTestudo Temporalis\u201d during his recent solo exhibition at the Dana L. Wiley Gallery in Dayton. Community members can watch Dailey create a large wall drawing in Wright State\u2019s Stein Galleries on Feb. 16 as part of the \u201cDrawing from Perception, Invention and Memory” exhibition. (Photo by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

Andrew Dailey likes to draw on walls.<\/p>\n

From giant tortoises to elephants to pigs stacked atop one another, creating original graphite drawings on gallery walls has become a feature of many of Dailey\u2019s exhibitions.<\/p>\n

Dailey, who studied drawing and painting at Wright State University, is even OK knowing the murals are temporary.<\/p>\n

For instance, in his most recent exhibition, \u201cEphemera,\u201d at the Dana L. Wiley Gallery in downtown Dayton, Dailey drew a six-foot square tortoise with driftwood on its shell.<\/p>\n

When the exhibition closed in January, the drawing was painted over. It fits with the theme of Dailey\u2019s exhibition: life is ever-changing, unpredictable, fleeting and finite.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a drawing that exists temporarily,\u201d Dailey said.<\/p>\n

Many of Dailey\u2019s graphite murals are whimsical.<\/p>\n

\u201cBloated Elevation\u201d featured an elephant, frightened by a tiny mouse, standing on top of two water fountains in a secluded gallery space at The Contemporary Dayton. \u201cCounting Sheep,\u201d drawn on the adjoining wall, depicted a large wolf standing on top of three sheep.<\/p>\n

At the Neon Heater Gallery in Findlay, Ohio, Dailey drew pigs stacked on top of each other, the largest crowned with a gold leaf halo. As part of an exhibition about politicians abusing their power, the idea behind the mural was \u201celevating things that are bad for us,\u201d Dailey said. \u201cWe put the biggest fattest pig on the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Dailey draw live<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dailey, who graduated from Wright State in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art<\/a>, will create a large wall drawing in the Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries<\/a> on Friday, Feb. 16, as part of \u201cDrawing from Perception, Invention and Memory,\u201d a juried exhibition of artists from across the United States. Sam Kelly, who earned a B.F.A. in Painting from Wright State, will lead a concurrent drawing marathon in one of the drawing studios.<\/p>\n

Community members can watch Dailey work or draw with Kelly from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Wright State\u2019s Creative Arts Center.<\/p>\n

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Much of Andrew Dailey\u2019s current work is inspired by everyday objects and natural subjects. (Photo by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

Dailey also has a portrait he drew of his daughter Phoenix in \u201cDrawing from Perception, Invention and Memory<\/a>,\u201d which is on display in the Stein Galleries through March 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have had a long interest in drawing the human form and did it for many years,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, this drawing is a departure from my recent work, but it\u2019s also a return to a familiar and much-loved motif.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natural inspiration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Much of Dailey’s artistic inspiration comes from everyday objects, plants and animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something I\u2019ve always really found fascinating with natural forms and organic forms,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re often challenging to pick in a way that feels worthwhile from my point of view, not necessarily from a viewer\u2019s point of view. No two roots or blades of grass are the same. I like that. The one thing you\u2019re working on is not like any other thing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dailey started focusing on natural subjects while grieving for his older brother who died unexpectedly in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had done enough of these drawings and saw a theme starting to emerge and wanted to keep it going,\u201d he said. \u201cIt became more intentional after I realized what I had been working on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dailey\u2019s interest in drawing also has some practical application. As a busy father raising two children, it was challenging to set up a painting studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrawing was a way to feel like I was being productive, while the kids needed their dad around to do dad things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It also helps that drawing is his favorite medium to work in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got its own unique characteristics and properties that you can\u2019t get in a painting or etching,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I leaned heavily into that, and I\u2019ve been trying to push it as far as I can and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

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“Butterfly Bush Roots” by Andrew Dailey<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to his studio practice, Dailey is the cultural arts program supervisor at the City of Kettering\u2019s Rosewood Arts Centre. He facilitates arts opportunities for the community by bringing in teaching artists who share their skills and knowledge.<\/p>\n

His responsibilities include overseeing the visual arts educational programs, classes and workshops and Kettering\u2019s long-running children\u2019s theater program while also assisting with outreach programs, special events and a robust summer art camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something, honestly, I had thought about a whole lot before working here, but it\u2019s been a rewarding experience,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m still working in the field. It\u2019s gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dailey comes from a family of visual artists and was encouraged to pursue his artistic interests as a child. His great-grandfather was a painter, and while Dailey never met him, he knew his artwork because it hung in family members\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n

His great-aunt was also an artist and art teacher. His mother was a nurse and painted in her free time. She would set up and paint on the dining room table and her paintings were displayed around the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot just being around that as a kid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dailey drew a lot as he was growing up and, as a fan of comic book illustration, enjoyed drawing Wolverine and the X-Men.<\/p>\n

\u201cI showed an inclination toward it as a kid and kept drawing,\u201d he said. \u201cIn high school, I decided I wanted to take this seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Wonderfully supportive place\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After graduating from Greeneview High School in Jamestown, Dailey enrolled in Wright State\u2019s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art program because of its focus on drawing fundamentals.<\/p>\n

He credits the fine art faculty for creating a supportive environment and for pushing him to establish a strong work ethic and discover how to be self-motivated. He also learned how to see the world as an artist, a skill he uses not only to draw but also to think critically.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn how to look at a problem and figure out how to diagnose the problem and find solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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“Shad” by Andrew Dailey<\/p><\/div>\n

When he enrolled in the M.F.A. program at Miami University, Dailey realized how well Wright State had prepared him to succeed as a graduate student.<\/p>\n

He has remained close to Wright State\u2019s fine art program since graduating.<\/p>\n

As a young professional, Dailey taught drawing, painting and printmaking in the College of Liberal Arts<\/a> for several years. It allowed him to work alongside many of the instructors who taught him as a student.<\/p>\n

He received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Wright State\u2019s former Department of Art and Art History in 2016.<\/p>\n

Dailey has also worked with several Wright State faculty members as a member and coordinator of the Dutoit Gallery, an artist-run coop at Front Street in downtown Dayton.<\/p>\n

Faculty members continue to support him by attending his events and staying in touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re mentors, teachers, friends, intellects I look up to as well,\u201d he said. \u201cWright State has been a wonderfully supportive place for me over the year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From giant tortoises to elephants to pigs stacked atop one another, creating original graphite drawings on gallery walls has become a feature of many of Andrew Dailey\u2019s exhibitions. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":146635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,4309,4299,729,2037,4859,725,747,715,2082],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-alumni-association","category-alumni-profile","category-around-campus","category-arts-scene","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-news","category-robert-and-elaine-stein-art-galleries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146624"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160676,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146624\/revisions\/160676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}