Danny’s love for drawing stems back to his childhood, as a teenager he pursued his passions for art and took a national diploma at Southend College.
These brave decisions have benefitted individuals, organisations and our community as Danny’s artwork and marvellous murals have brought a smile to many a face since. CommunityAd had the pleasure of a chat with Danny about how he’s turned his passions into a thriving business MbyDB (Murals by Danny Bench).
The Mural that got our attention is the brilliant Billericay one next to the pub, how did that come about?
The Remembrance Day mural on the exterior wall at the Crown Pub was painted to show appreciation for all the animals that also lost their lives serving the country. I have previously created artwork for the Crown Pub and it’s always a pleasure to be asked back.
The colours of that piece of art are almost emotive, really nice work, have you received much feedback on that particular piece? Must be nice to get some praise?
I have created various Remembrance Day murals and wanted to paint something a bit different this time around. So, I decided on the ‘Purple Poppy’ theme which got an amazing response. It’s a blessing to receive so many nice comments about the artwork but I don’t create artwork for praise, I create artwork to make people smile and enjoy.
Your art is so intriguing, how would you describe your style or styles? And what are your influences?
To be honest, I don’t really have a certain style, I like to push myself to create different styles and I am always learning new techniques. In regards to influences, these would be, street art, graffiti, pop art and art in general.
Your murals seem to lend themselves to all sorts of places, so many differing commissions, businesses, bedrooms, pubs all around Essex; could you tell us a few of the different places your work is on show?
I feel blessed to have created various artwork around Essex and for so many amazing clients, businesses and locations. But I travel anywhere and everywhere for my art, my proudest achievement to date is being able to create artwork for Liverpool FC as I have been an LFC supporter since I was a little boy.
What kind of commissions do you enjoy the most? It must be lovely to create something special in a child’s bedroom that you know they are going to adore for years to come?
Any commission is a blessing, the most important thing to me is making a child, a client or a community smile and appreciate my artwork. Being able to do a job I love every day and to make a living from what I do best is a blessing and I will never take it for granted.
A lot of people during the darkest days of the pandemic took up a new creative hobby in aid of distracting themselves from the doom and gloom, why do you think creative endeavour no matter what form it takes is so important for the human spirit and one’s mental health?
The pandemic affected so many people, businesses and ruined livelihoods, I was fortunate enough to carry on working through it and gave my time to help out others. Creating art, drawing it, painting it or looking at it will always take your mind off things that are going on around you so this can only be good for one’s mental health and their spirit.
Anything else to add at all, Danny?
All I can say is that if you love art, you’ve got a passion for it, then don’t give up, follow your heART and make your dreams come true… I have!