Added Oct 7, 2009
Starting at an early age of 11, Dan started painting abstract oils on large canvas boards. He sold these to family members and family friends for small amounts of money. A sister recently returned one to him after 40 years, on the back was written “canals” $8.00 by Daniel Budde, age 11. In his teens, Dan recorded TV painting shows and mimicked the fast simple technique of these artists who painted a whole painting in ½ hour. After painting many of these landscapes and selling them at craft shows, Dan decided to get better and he studied art through the books he purchased and borrowed. In his early twenties the love for painting buildings in a realistic style emerged. Knocking on lots of doors followed with many paintings done as commissions of homes, stores, farms, hotels, mills, riverboats and anything that had structures and detail. Painting was always a part-time passion as he was a piano and organ demonstrator and salesman for local music stores through the years. A few years back the old master were studied again to refresh his interest and transparent under paintings helped give his paintings a new look. Recently Dan started looking for subjects by air by flying low with an ultralight aircraft he built and flies frequently. Painting farms and fields around his home town of Clinton, Iowa on the shores of the Mississippi River have been his focus lately. Recently quitting his full time job has allowed him to pursue more art and music. Playing in a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, flying and painting fills his life along with his family.