This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| The following is from the artist:
"I believe that one of the most important functions of an artist is to share the beauty of the world around him. If I can encourage someone to appreciate the play of light on dry autumn grasses, or the texture of an old log fence or lichen covered rock, I feel I may have touched their soul."
Dan's belief that an artist should remain a student throughout his life has led him on a path of continual growth and experimentation. Primarily self taught, Dan was selected for the Robert Bateman Master Class of 1991, and has studied at the Beartooth School of Art under renown painter Bob Kuhn.
Over the years Dan has evolved a style that portrays the subject both accurately and naturally, while communicating his feelings and emotions. "I feel that mood is the most expressive element in a painting, and I orchestrate all of the pictorial elements of lighting, color, composition and contrast to evoke the mood I'm after." Dan says.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dan developed an interest in art at an early age. He spent so much time drawing horses, rabbits and raccoons that, in an effort to conserve paper, his parents gave him a chalk board.
Dan's interest in Impressionism began during high school art classes, when he felt a particular affinity for the art of Claude Monet. He was also attracted to the art of Andrew Wyeth, whose style became a major influence on Dan's later work.
In 1991, Dan was elected a member of the Society of Animal Artists. At the opening of the Society's 32nd Annual ART AND THE ANIMAL exhibit at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, Dan was awarded the Award of Excellence, the Society's Highest honor. While presenting the award, Dr. Douglas Lewis, curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C., complimented Dan by referring to his painting " The Waiting Game" as one of the finest wildlife paintings he'd ever seen.
Dan lives with his wife Susan in a high mountain valley just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in north central Colorado.
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