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Daniel Graziano Biography
Born in Chicago in 1953, Dan Graziano's artistic vision began taking shape when his family moved to Los Angeles in 1964. It was the 60's and the impressionable teenager became immersed in the country's explosive political, cultural and artistic awakening coupled with the unique lifestyle of the California surf and rock music cultures. His first formal training focused on advertising and illustration, but a career opportunity in architecture and urban planning altered his original direction.
When he returned to painting, he was drawn to the rich complexity of the urban landscape - inspired by Edward Hopper and other urbanist painters. As an accomplished blues guitarist (his other great passion), he found the city streets, time worn buildings and multiple layers of decay and repair a visual parallel to the spirit and culture of the music.
In 2000, he relocated to Chester County, Pennsylvania where his paintings quickly evolved from inner city streets to expanses of fields, farms and other pastoral East Coast subjects. It was here that he began showing his work in galleries and juried events while deepening his involvement in plein air painting. He continued his art education through workshops with Ken Auster, Randall Sexton and Tim Horn. He now makes Castine, Maine his home - capturing rugged coastlines, historic villages and picturesque landscapes from New England to the low country of South Carolina.
"I paint the places and environments I find interesting in my everyday life. I look for unique compositions which involve dramatic contrasts of light, shadow and perspective. I continue to be intrigued by the urban landscapes of inner cities - their active streets, time worn buildings and multiple layers of decay, renewal and adaptation - that proudly display the effects of age and use, which I see as testaments to strength, character and authenticity in contrast with modern society's demand for newness, imitation, disposability and easy duplication. I am also drawn to the unique natural beauty of New England, encompassing its historic towns, picturesque harbors and enduring maritime legacy. My work is influenced by the American realists such as Eakins, Sargent, Hopper and the three generations of Wyeths".
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