Magic summarises the divine nature of the human experience- it breathes through all that is living. In swaying trees and staunch concrete, it is everywhere all the time. Magic thrives in the coincidental, unpredictable and unexplainable...

On humid Brisbane mornings, the sun pushes between the wooden slats of the old Queenslander, illuminating the studio. Cluttered workbenches harbour containers of paint tubes, brushes, books, and rags. The walls are plastered with pieces of paper and canvas, messy ink drawings drying along one, colourful oil paintings at various stages of completion across another.

This is the space Sydney-born, Brisbane based artist Dan Hewitt creates from. While a screenprinter by trade, his work spans across painting, drawing, writing, and printmaking. At 22, his works have been shown from Brisbane to Wollongong through both solo and group shows, radiating passion down the east coast of Australia. His creativity is rooted in magic, and he aims to express the obscure and ordinary places he finds it.

The time he spends in the studio is ritualistic. Beginning with four ink drawings, before slowing down to chip away at oil paintings. A messy release to loosen up and make marks without hesitation allows Dan to approach paintings with confidence and intention. This process is dynamic from start to finish, rich with emotion and energy. He engages in a dance with the canvas, pigment, brush and magic, intertwining tangible scenes with intangible feelings- a tapestry to communicate his lived experiences.