You can call me Dusty. I’m the artist behind Dangerdust.
I hail and work from my home studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, with my very helpful stripey work assistant. I started Dangerdust right out of college, or I guess in college. I graduated with a degree in graphic design and a minor in copywriting, thinking I would work for someone else. Jokes on me, it’s already been over a decade! But seriously, doing this allowed me to harness my love of graphic design and my love of good old-fashioned hands-on creating into one business.
Whether it’s drawing with pencil or chalk, painting with watercolor, gouache, or oil paint, carving a block to print, or cutting paper into collage, or designing a new mobile, making things has always been innate to me. Capturing the small moments and savoring them has become my gratitude practice, and it’s how I show and share love and appreciation.
I’m also a long-time bullet journaler (2019-2026), an avid tea drinker (I’ve learned the hard way coffee induces anxiety), a pretty okay singer and uke player (I wrote two songs for my niece, they are good if I can say so), a lover of home improvement projects and organizing chaos, a habitual “I can fix that and don’t need to throw it away” sewer, a forever-improving yogi, a nature lover and respector, and my nieces’ biggest fan.
I hope my ever-evolving work is a soft place to land and spread joy. I feel so grateful I get to do this for a living. Thank you so much for being here!
| EST. 2013 |
Charlotte, NC
Illustration & Design
Latest creations, a bit later.
( I love static images)
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Signed Giclée Prints from my home studio
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VISIT INSTAGRAM
Latest creations, a bit later.
( I love static images)
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T H E
Signed Giclée Prints from my home studio in Charlotte, NC.
Tattoo Permit, Originals, & More Coming Soon
Have a project in mind?
THE DANGER & THE DUST
Columbus, Ohio — September 2013
It all began with an ordinary piece of white chalk.
Two hooligans, Dusty Dangero & Dan Dusty, discovered an empty 4 × 6 foot chalkboard at their university. With nothing better to do as seniors on a Friday night, they broke into campus to graffiti all over the board and vanish silently into the night. On Monday morning, the campus was accosted with the words:
“Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint.” — Banksy
The following weekend, they snuck back in and erased the board. Then they did it again. And again. Twenty-four chalkboard quotes later, no one had caught the anonymous duo. In fact, curiously, the university seemed to revel in their ruffian ways, once leaving a $20 bill tucked into one of the chalkboards with a note of encouragement. The money was promptly spent on more chalk.
When graduation arrived, the chalkboards were left behind, but the dangerous lifestyle proved much harder to quit. Though Dusty and Dan eventually went their separate ways, Dangerdust had already taken on a life of its own. And so, armed with a box of chalk and a questionable amount of optimism, Dusty kept going.
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Dangerdust, Thank you for the beautiful and inspiring work. The amount enclosed is for supplies and coffee, and in a small way serves as a vote of confidence in your continued efforts.
You’ve made this space one to be watched and we look forward to seeing what you produce next, as well as into the future through what will no doubt be fruitful careers.Sincerely, Anonymous
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Break into the college with Dusty & Dan and view all 24 chalkboards here.
