Dan Meyer

With over 30 years of art experience, I've been interpreting my encounters with the avian wildlife of North America through the use of transparent watercolor. My attempt at capturing the essence of the subject is directly related to my emphasis on the use of values and the luminescent quality of the medium.
I consider myself to be a watercolor purist, meaning I choose to avoid opaque mediums and use only transparent color. My whites are the result of painting darker colors around an area leaving the bare paper to fashion the white. It's this challenge that inspires me to create new paintings with the same excitement and enthusiasm as my very first watercolor painting.

My inspiration for a painting comes from observing the subject in it's natural environment. The subjects of the watercolor art shown in the gallery where captured through my personal sketches and photography.
In my studio, I use the reference to create several drawings of the subjects in various positions. I then develop a value sketch that contains all the elements of a good design. In the case of a still life, I create the design by physically arranging the subject in a pleasing layout. When the images have been satisfactorily transferred to the watercolor substrate and I have thought about the color applications and values, I proceed in rendering an image that I hope will be eye-catching and interesting as well as self satisfying.

A graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, I worked in the advertising and packaging fields before deciding to pursue wildlife art full time. I participate in numerous shows in the eastern United States and share my artistic knowledge with students through classes and workshops. My paintings and illustrations can be found on packaging, posters, textiles and in sportsman's magazines.
I am a charter member and past president of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and honorary member of the Central New York Watercolor Society.

Achievements
Awards
2011    Original "StrawHat" accepted into NFWS National Exhibition, Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2008    3 illustrations published in Wildfowl Magazine
2007    Article and illustration published in Wildfowl Magazine
2007    First Place, Arts in the Village, Lancaster, NY
2006    Honorable Mention, Ohio Valley Arts League Wildlife Art Exhibit, Henderson, KY
2005    Best of Show, Arts in the Village, Lancaster, NY
2005    First Place, Art on the Riverwalk, Tonawanda, NY
2005    Second Place, East Aurora Art Festival, East Aurora, NY
2005    Honorable Mention, Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society Spring Show, Feline Gallery, Buffalo, NY
2004    Art on the Boardwalk, Olcott, NY
2003    First Place, Decoy and Gunning Show, Tuckerton, NJ
2003    Purchase Award, Art in the Village, Lancaster, NY
2001    Second place, NY State Fair Wildlife Art, Syracuse, NY
2000    Second Place, Easter Decoy and Wildlife Art Fest, Chincoteague Island, VA
1999    First place, Wildlife and Maritime Art, Wings and Water Festival, Stone Harbor, NJ
1993    Artist of the Year, NY State Fair Wildlife Art, Syracuse, NY
1984    Honorable Mention, Nature Interpreted, Cincinnati Museum of Natural History
1983    Artist of the Year, Ducks Unlimited, Buffalo Chapter
1983    Second Place, Duck Decoy and Wildlife Art Show, Thousand Islands, Clayton, NY
1982    First Place, Duck Decoy and Wildlife Art Show, Thousand Islands, Clayton, NY
1079    Artist of the Year, Ducks Unlimited, Buffalo Chapter
1975    James Cary Evans Memorial Award for Watercolor, 35th Western NY Show, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY

Commissions
2001 Festival poster, Wetlands Institute, NJ
2000 Decoy and Wildlife Art Show poster, Thousand Islands Museum, Clayton, NY

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