Soon after obtaining his Masters degree in Architecture, Daniel Blignaut then pursued his interest in painting; studying Fine Art at the University of South Africa. For many years Blignaut remained a practicing architect, while applying himself after hours to his artistic inclinations.
His work has always incorporated vibrant color, the use of symbols, and personal iconography like the chess board pattern. Over the past three decades his main interests have been in the expressive, symbolic impact of color and representational objects, and in earlier works, explored the use of naïve art with definitive expressive undertones. Blignaut has used children’s paintings as “found objects” for the framework for many of his paintings.
As an architect, Blignaut had to work with very strict drafting guidelines regarding precision, with accuracy as the most important rule. As an artist, he has become fascinated with the accidental line, and in rich complex surfaces, frequently working with “found” and “discovered” elements within his own work.
