When my dear artist friend Danvy Pham texted photos of her works in progress for her upcoming solo show, I replied, “Klimt! But from a feminine perspective.” Danvy draws from many such inspirations — Schiele and Picasso also come to mind — but the result is one distinctly her own. Her figurative paintings fearlessly grapple with gender, love (both fortunate and fraught), and the corporeal form. As a teacher once observed, Danvy creates “glimpses of ballet” in her brush strokes.

The show, appropriately titled The Woman Within, enjoyed an intimate opening Saturday night at the eccentric Petit Ermitage Hotel in West Hollywood, a setting perhaps more amenable for her anomalous work than a traditional gallery: guests were greeted by the paintings the moment they arrived to the rooftop bar, and mingled in the hotel hallways among the work well into the night.

I talked with Danvy about her creative background, idiosyncratic style, and her search to unearth the unconscious through the artmaking process.

One of the most incredible things to consider while looking at your paintings is that as a visual artist, you’re entirely self-taught. How did you come to painting as a medium?

Stumbling into painting was an accident. I was studying acting with  Laura Heart, who, in her younger days, took acting class with Marilyn Monroe and studied with Josephine Dillon, Clark Gable’s wife and acting coach. Laura was in her nineties and a master pianist, voice & lyricism extraordinaire. I kept hitting a wall with acting and how to attain complete abandonment while performing. During one of our lessons, she found out I painted as a hobby. Looking at my paintings, she saw signs of abandonment and glimpses of ballet in my brush strokes. This is when I began to take painting more seriously. I listened, began to explore and most importantly, practiced.  Now when I paint I let go of my mind and allow the creativity to enter me without obstructions.

Ashley Randall Photography

You use a blend of watercolors, charcoal, and oil pastels, which blend to a style that feels characteristically your own.

It is not an accident that blending these three mediums together has become my preferred way to express myself. I am a person that loves the art of layering in my everyday life. From flowers and candles, to home decor, to personal style, cooking and sometimes relationships; I love things when they are more dynamic and have layers of mysterious unfolding. 

Ashley Randall Photography

You’ve also worked as an actress, and have a ballet background. Do other artistic endeavors inform your visual art practice?

Music is truly what I love. Although I cannot play any instruments, there is a lyrical quality to my work; an unspoken harmony of life. Like a musician, a painter has a level of control and rhythm to their strokes, making my authentic feelings and emotions the key ingredients to my art. When I am in the moment, my inspiration flows effortlessly and I am surrounded by inspiration like a beautiful symphony. 

Ashley Randall Photography

You paint a lot of portraits, which allow you to draw inspiration from those you know, but also those you observe from afar, who you maybe only have a photo of. What is the process like of deciding what to bring to the page  — imagining versus depicting what is recognizable?

The muse will inspire me and then I run with it. Sometimes I will use certain images or people as a starting point to get my emotions, story or message aligned. Other times, a flash of ideas happen and I then piece them together as I work. Most importantly, there is a natural flow to my process, a complete creative trust in my intuition, my emotions, my ideas and my reflections allowing myself to be an empty vessel for the creativity to enter and then release itself in complete abandonment. Another big portion of my art is commissioned portraits. I am given the opportunity to channel the subject on an intuitive level and play. It brings me joy to know that I captured their essence in a painting. 

Ashley Randall Photography

Thematically, the pieces in your show feel linked: they show the coexistence of eroticism and spirituality, psychology and vanity, and what is within versus what is shown to the world. What do you find to be fertile about these dichotomies?

I operate on raw truths.  I am a person you either like or don’t, you either understand me or you don’t. I enjoy pushing boundaries and thrive to seek more depth within others through the process of deepening the self. Art has given me the permission to express this fearlessly.   

Ashley Randall Photography

Your first solo show is at the Petit Ermitage hotel. Do you find it more ideal to have your pieces among a bustling hotel space than in a gallery?

The Petit Ermitage is a perfect fit for my first show. It’s an eccentric, off-the-beaten track kind of place with a quirky flair and bohemian vibe. I certainly do not fit into the typical “artist” box. It is just as important for me to curate a mood and culture that bring people together around the work and its themes. My hope for this show is to ignite engaged conversations and deepen people’s lives through the power of observing the work.

Ashley Randall Photography