Meet Dandee Warhol: Art Director | War’Hous Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dandee Warhol and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dandee, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first started War’Hous, I saw a void in the scene and something was missing. There were tons of gallery in town, but none of them were showing up and coming artists, specifically street artists. So I saw a niche in the game and moved forward with the business. Once we finally opened, the flood gates were let loose and it just snowballed from there. We’ve been in the game for 11 years now, and pride ourselves on starting a gallery that provided a voice for those who didn’t have a platform.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider myself a contemporary pop artist because I love to show the current trends that are happening in our lives. I feel like one of an artist’s job is to record history through art, and that’s what I love to do with my work. Honestly, I became a professional artist by accident. It only happened through my gallery, War’Hous, and it started to overcome my life and eventually, I had to quit my career in finance. Being a professional artist is never easy, there are no more steady paychecks and you have to rely on your work to survive. But the upside is the freedom and creativity that I would never trade for anything. The only way to overcome those challenges is to keep pushing and pushing and to get better and faster at what you do. My advice for artists who would like to transition into a full-time career is to never quit and chase their fears. Now that I’m pretty established, as well as with my War’Hous brand, we want to let people know that we’re to help you with your journey. That is what we do and it has been our business model since we started in 2010.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would probably do a day-time stroll in Montrose for coffee and shopping. Maybe have brunch on the patio at 93 Till. Then transition to the Menil park and have wine and cheese on the lawn. Of course, we would need to check out some art at the Menil and see their new collections. We would probably need to a take disco nap after the daytime adventure, then head to dinner probably in the Heights at Field & Tides or Coltivare, then chill in the back patio of Tikila’s for some cocktails. Then for some nightlife, I really like the East End right now. Sunset rooftop for some chill vibes, then Ms. Carousel and EightyTwo for more drinks and games. There are tons of new places I haven’t checked out yet since the pandemic happened. But I’m happy to see business is as usual it seems like. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Marjon F. Aucoin, my partner in crime. The WIDE School, for being an innovator in education. Jessica McMahon, cause she’s a badass fashion designer and an educator. Lee Carrier, for being a phenomenal arts educator and a mother and Juan Salazar owner/operator of Super Happy Incredible Toys. Hardy and Nance Studios, for having such an amazing roster of artists in their studios. Artists 4 Artists, a nonprofit that helps artists in need during an emergency. The Houston Art Scene, for keeping us relevant and on our toes.

Website: www.dandeewarhol.com, www.deejonart.com, www.warhous.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dandee_warhol/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dandee-warhol-danao-a112b281/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/warhousdandee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandee.warhol

Image Credits
Ryce Yanez Thomas Guererro Local Magazine