In January 2022, my wife bought me five oil painting lessons for my thirty-eighth birthday. Since then, I have painted nearly every night after a busy day of teaching high school students and helping to raise our son and daughter. Over the past year two years, I have had several pieces accepted into six Arthouse.NYC juried exhibits at Ideal Glass Studio in New York City. Five pieces were selected for the big screen at Big Screen Plaza in New York City. In February of 2024, I accepted an art residency at the YMCA Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland, which lasted until October. Recently, I was accepted into the Superfine Art Fair in San Francisco, California.

My art is evolving into a dualist interpretation of the world around me. I combine realistic and surrealist imagery to stimulate people’s imaginations, challenge the parameters of possibility, and concisely depict robust memories to encourage viewers to create meaningful experiences. I am constantly exploring new approaches and techniques and reflecting on my purpose as an artist. Additionally, I am becoming increasingly interested in depicting elements of modern culture and using my paintings as artifacts of our society. 

I hope that my art primes viewers’ thinking. Hence, they can better activate their imagination, discover relationships between abstract and unorthodox elements, and ultimately apply these relationships to develop original solutions and view the world as a space that needs to be explored instead of one to escape. Lastly, as someone fifteen years sober, I hope to inspire people to pursue art as a therapeutic tool and encourage them to pursue their passions regardless of their age or level of experience. 

Dan Oils