Born in Chicago in 1953, Dan Graziano’s
artistic vision began taking shape when his family moved to Los Angeles in 1964. It was the 60’s and the impressionable
teenager became immersed in the country’s explosive political, cultural and artistic
awakening coupled with the unique lifestyle of the California surf and rock
music culture.
His first formal training focused on advertising and illustration, but a
career detour into architecture and urban planning altered his original
direction.
When he returned to painting, he looked to the urban landscapes of Los Angeles for his
subject matter – drawing upon the influences of Edward Hopper and other
urbanist painters. As an accomplished
blues guitarist (his other great passion), he found the deserted streets, time
worn buildings and the multiple layers of decay and repair of the inner city a
visual parallel to the spirit and culture of the music.
In 2000, he relocated to Chester
County, Pennsylvania
where his paintings quickly evolved from deserted city streets to expanses of
fields, farms and other iconic East Coast subjects. It was here that he began showing his work in
galleries and juried events.
On his return to the West Coast, he became involved in the plein air
style of painting, capturing landscapes of oak-studded hillsides and dramatic
coastlines bathed in the brilliant California
sunlight. He continued his art education
through workshops with Ken Auster, Randall Sexton and Tim Horn.
“I am
intrigued by objects, architecture and places that proudly display the effects
of age, wear and decay. I feel these are
testaments of strength, character and authenticity - in stark contrast with
modern society’s demand for newness, imitation, disposability and easy
duplication. Solitary settings and
compositions that incorporate dramatic light and shadows along with
compositions suggesting a potentially deeper story have always fascinated me. I find great inspiration in the quickly vanishing
icons of historic America. I am also drawn to the unique natural beauty
of the California
landscape, along with the luminescent quality of the sunlight on the West
Coast.
My work
is greatly influenced by the American realists such as Eakins, Sargent, Hopper
and the three generations of Wyeths”.
You can visit his website at www.dangrazianofineart.com or his blog at www.dangrazianoart.blogspot.com .
Born: 1953 Chicago,
IL
Location: Los Angeles,
CA
Style: contemporary representational, plein air,
Subjects: coastal and rural landscape, urbanscape, still life
Influences: Hopper, Wyeth, Payne, Sargent, Thiebaud
Galleries: Parke Schaffer Fine Art
Southam
Gallery
Morris
and Whiteside Galleries
New Masters Gallery
Affiliations: California
Art Club
Laguna
Plein Air Painters Association
Oil
Painters of America
Exhibitions and Competitions:
• “Contemporary
Masters: Artistic Eden III” Group Show 2012, Pasadena Museum of History
• “Jonathan Art
Foundation Auction” Group Show 2012, Los Angeles, CA
• "Plein Air Painting," Golden West College Fine Arts Gallery 2012
• “2011 Charleston Art Auction,” Charleston, SC
• “13th Annual Laguna Beach
Plein Air Painting Invitational,” Laguna Art Museum/Laguna
Plein Air Painters Assoc.
• “2011 Just Plein Fun” plein air invitational, Debra Huse Gallery
• “2011 Summer Salon,” Tirage Fine Art
• “Less is More” 2011 (First Place Award), Laguna Plein Air Painters
Assoc.
• “6 Inch Square”
Group Show 2011 (award winner), Randy Higbee Gallery
• “6 Inch Square”
Group Show 2010, Randy Higbee Gallery
• “Less is More” 2010, Laguna Plein Air Painters
Assoc.
• “Small is Beautiful” 2010, Southern
California Plein Air Painters Assoc.
• “Modern Landscapes” 2009 (First
Place Award), Southern
California Artists Assoc.
• “Less Is More” Miniature Show 2009 (Honorable Mention Award), Laguna Plein Air Painters
Assoc.
• “Rialto Visions 2008: Icons and
Landmarks of South Pasadena,”
SoPas Gallery
• “Contemporary Realism 2004,” Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD
• “Featured Artist Series 2003”, Kevin Butler Gallery, Martha's Vineyard, MA
• “New Directions 2002,” Barrett
Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
• “Georgetown International Art 2002” (Third Place Award),
Fraser Gallery, Georgetown, MD
• “71st Annual
Hudson Valley
Art Association Juried Show 2002,” Newington-Cropsey Gallery, Hastings- on-Hudson, NY