Daemon Rowanchilde (born November 2, 1961) is an artist based in Fergus, Ontario, Canada.
Best known for his tattoo art, Daemon also is an accomplished painter, who incorporates
influences of Middle Eastern and Indian design, ancient Islamic architecture and ornament into
his paintings and tattoo designs. Daemon considers Van Gogh, M.C. Escher, H.R. Giger and Alex
Grey to be among his favourite artists. Daemon draws inspiration from Alex Grey's art and overall
vision of art as a spiritual tool and enjoys attending Alex's visionary art workshops in New York. In 1986 he completed a fine art specialist programme at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD) in Toronto where he studied fine art, sculpture, jewelry and experimental design. His fascination with the portrayal of the human body in various media eventually led him to a final-year independent study project on tattooing as art and design for the body. This attracted the attention of the media, who felt it was the first time that an art institute was to recognize tattooing as an art form.
After graduation, Daemon pursued his interest in tattoo art, building a substantial fan- and client-base, garnering numerous national and international awards and receiving increasing media attention. Daemon's tattoo practice began as an exploration of tattooing's contribution to the aesthetics of the human body in motion. With time, however, Daemon became increasingly aware of the spiritual dimensions of his body designs and their potential to effect the human energy field. In the mid eighties Daemon began to recognize parallels between his role as a tattoo artist and that of a midwife. This lead to his exploration and experimentation with the effects of the immediate environment where his clients were being tattooed. From that point on, Daemon began to see his work as an interpretation of an individual's personal and unique energy field—the very patterns reflected in the art and healing rituals of diverse shamanistic cultures across time and space. He calls his signature style Daemonic Energy Wave and Daemonic Tribal. Every Rowanchilde design is a personal emblem, a soul print, of an individual's inner magnificence.
Intrigued by the aesthetic and spiritual possibilities of tattooing, Daemon sought to communicate his worldview in his paintings and in the media. In 2001, he participated in the Gemini Award-winning documentary Skin Deep. His widening renown eventually brought him to the attention of Hollywood where he acquired celebrity clients and contributed designs to a number of feature films. His art has also been on public display in popular Hollywood films such as X-Men 2.
In 2005, Daemon moved to Fergus, Ontario, where he and his wife Raven opened Soul Garden Retreat. The Retreat provided the perfect meditative setting for the practice of an art that Daemon had increasingly come to see as offering a transformative experience for both artist and client.
Daemon is presently devoting more time to painting and other creative avenues to further explore influences and directions that will shape and guide his art and his life. Always interested in expanding his knowledge and understanding of the healing power of the human body, Daemon has been exploring Iyengar yoga, biodynamic craniosacral therapy, meditation and a variety other healing arts.
Links
Urban Primitive
Soul Garden Retreat
Alex Grey
OCAD
B. K. S. Iyengar
Iyengar Yoga School of Toronto
