Flatirons from Dry Creek Meadow (2003) Painting by Daniel Dayley

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Watercolor continues to inspire me with its fluid, luminous qualities. I also find the medium’s unpredictable nature to be delightfully challenging. My work has been greatly influenced by the artists I admire most, namely Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. My art has also been strongly influenced by Eastern philosophy.

I am excited by all kinds of landscapes, including pastoral country settings, urban scenes, coastal scenes, as well as gardens. I am especially inspired currently by the dramatic mountain vistas of Colorado and the Western States region.

The attempt to balance detailed, crisp areas with fluid spontaneity presents endless intrigue and challenge. The general goal with any of my paintings is to provide the viewer with a sense of genuine appreciation and wonder – a momentary pause from the fast paced lifestyle of our times. I strive to “lead” the viewer into a painting, to have them feel like they can “taste” the experience of being in the scene.

Growing up out West, I learned a great deal about panorama and distance, which influences how I handle space, depth and perspective. Also, the interplay of light and phenomena continually fascinates me. I always try to convey these qualities with the pigment on paper.

I generally photograph or sketch a visually stimulating scene with various compositions in mind. The finished drawing is rendered on Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper. I consider this drawing to be quite important to the outcome of the work in order to provide a guideline for proper shapes, proportions, as well as interesting composition and layout on the paper. A series of washes, masking, dry brushing, occasional lifting, and detailing are executed to take the work to completion. Each work is a real process requiring a blend of conceptual intention, intuitive activity with brush, water & pigment, a lot of patience, and a lack of hesitation employed in order to render passages during the windows of timing opportunities offered by the wetness on the page. The sequence of events is crucial, typically progressing from top to bottom of the image, from background to foreground, and from light to dark. Winsor & Newton watercolors are used exclusively for high quality, rich color and permanence.

I began working in watercolor in 1973, and have been attracted to the medium’s luminosity and depth of color ever since. I studied art for several years at the University of Utah and in 1981 I pursued watercolor studies in the Bay Area, where I delighted in painting the wealth of regional scenery. A number of my earlier works are in private collections in northern California. In 1988 I continued my watercolor studies at the Art Students’ league in New York City with Frederick Wong.

Over the years,...

• Nationality: UNITED STATES
• Date of birth : 1952
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary American Artists