The Mansion

The Mansion, a book by Henry Van Dyke, is celebrating its 100th anniversary and Deseret Book asked me to do the illustrations, it's a great story for Christmas and I really enjoyed doing the art for the book, it is designed well and the final product looks great. here is a link so you can check it out or buy a couple hundred copies for everyone you know. "The Mansion" I hope you enjoy it and share it with your family this Christmas Season.

Merry Christmas.

I Finally finished the "COWBOYS" book

I can't believe the that I am actually finished with this book, it has taken probably more time than any other book I have illustrated. I can't remember when I started it but it seems like years ago, I think we started talking about it years ago... anyway barring a bunch of changes from the art director, I am confident that it is finished. The process has taken me all over cowboydom, I have tried to represent cowboys from all over the country, not necessarily in any specific order, just a good smattering of different regional cowboys. It's interesting that there is so much difference in what a cowboy wears in Texas and what a cowboy wears in Nevada or California or even in a drug store. Saddles, headstalls, hackamores, chaps of all different shapes, who would have known... I hope I have done a respectable job of representing them historically correct and not done just another hollywood hack job. I spent time in a saddle on a roundup, I have breathed the smoke of burning hair and flesh from a hot branding iron and even wrestled a calf or two to the ground to be branded, what a great time, both the learning and the drawing and painting. I hope the book is well received and makes all the time and effort with it. A hearty thanks to all the models who sat for me and patiently waited while the light was just right for a photo shoot and to all those who helped with the historical aspect and details, getting things right is important and these guys know their stuff . I can't wait to see the finished book in person, it is always interesting to see the finished product and I have no doubt this one I will hold with pride and count as some of my best work.

I hope you rush right out in the spring and buy hundreds of copies for all your friends and family.

thanks,

Dan

COWBOYS Getting close...

I'm getting down to the wire on my Cowboys book, only two paintings left to go, it's been a while since I posted so here is one more from the book, the model is one of my best friends and models he is also an illustrator so he makes a great model,we laughed hard at this painting and decided to entitle it "living the dream". The painting is about a stinky old bunkhouse, they were infested with bed bugs and smelled awful in the summer, this poor ol guy has been awakened by the smell of something bad and decides to sleep outside for the night. I hope it makes you laugh too.

The Good Samaritan

Lately it seems I have been doing more and more illustrations for biblical stories, this painting is the latest for a publication called The Liahona, I like this painting, it was a challenge to compose because it has been done so many times. As an illustrator you get to paint so many different subjects and usually you work on a tight deadline, this image for me is a serious subject and it would have been nice to have a month or so to work on it, but alas a few days is all that time would allow. Ironically the models I asked to pose for me are very symbolic, much like the parable, The one posing for the Samaritan is a professional counselor, The wounded "certain man" ( the words used in the bible) has recently been through a terrible tragedy, where he lost his wife in an automobile accident, as I was painting it, it donned on me how symbolic the whole thing was becoming, so I tried my best to express in the emotion and tenderness of the moment of one serving another. I hope you like it too.

This Years FTR Poster

Every year I do a poster for a local non-profit in the valley where I live, This is what I did for them this year, I like the crazy line around the art work, I guess I am trying to reach the younger crowd with my lack of design sense... I really like doing these posters, not only do I get to paint the subject I like but I have to design something as well, and it is nice break from my regular work, I don't charge them for the work (my donation to the cause) so I have total control over the project, any way I hope you like it and if you do you might consider visiting their site and giving to the cause, it's a good one. www.tetonwater.org The Painting is of the lower Teton River, the fisherman is a friend of mine, we were down there fishing last year and I just happened to have a camera... any way I composed this painting from the some of the photos I took that day.

COWBOYS

I am making good progress on the cowboys book, about half way finised with the illustrations, here is a detail of one of the paintings, I really like this character, he is a good model and has posed for me for other projects, he is a local rancher who humors me on occasion for modeling.

The book is looking good, I have a July deadline so it will probably be a spring release. Wish me luck, still have 12 paintings to go, not to mention the other book I am working on at the same time....

Finally "Cowboys"

At long last... "COWBOYS" is officially under way, I am painting almost every day on this new book, the text is almost finished, by David L. Harrison from Pirates, and the sketches have been approved. I am sooo happy to be working on this book, it's going to be a beauty, at least I hope so, Boyds Mills Press is publishing it. This painting was done from some photo ref I took while on a roundup this fall, I had a great time on horseback for the day, trying to take photos while pushing cows over a mountain was a bit tricky but what a great time, the guy in the painting is a good friend who has modeled for me a few other times, he is a great character and a terrific model, he is a cowboy and spends many days a year on horseback in the mountains checking cows.

Anyway, I will include bits and pieces here and there while I work on this great project.

It's been a while

Wow, I can't believe how fast time flies when you are busy, it's been a busy few months here in the studio working on a variety of projects, sorry for not keeping up on the ol blog.

I just finished a book that kept coming back for change after change after change, I hope it if finally done and the author signs off on the illustrations. Sometimes this turns into work that wont go away, this image is from that book, In the end I think it turned out good, it certainly was a learning experience.

anyway, I 'll try to do better keeping up and posting more frequently.