Although I spent a number of my early years painting only pastel and oil portraits, I now primarily enjoy creating landscapes, both in oil and watercolor, as the French would say, "en plein air". It allows me to combine my love of the outdoors with my passion for painting. It's the sights, the sounds, the smells and the feelings of the great outdoors that influence my thoughts, where the ideas for most of my successful paintings originate. The elements can sometimes present challenges to the plein air painter though. One rainy, stormy day, while on a painting trip to Monhegan Island, I donned my rain gear, hiked to Lobster Cove and sat on a rock and watched and listened to the pounding surf for nearly two hours. I then went back to the place I was staying and created a painting from the images accumulated in my mind. I'm not sure which experience I enjoyed more.
I still maintain my interest in portraiture by frequently attending the GHAA sponsored Bradford workshops to hone my drawing skills, by taking advantage of the availability of a live model. I find that creating an accurate portrait requires you to look beyond the physical features and try to capture the essence of the person, which may only truly be revealed when the model is at ease, relaxing between poses.
Website: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzepzupf/danieljshawfineart2/
eMail: dShaw@HaverhillArtAssociation.org
Drawings
Oils
Pastels
Watercolors
