About
Late-Emerging Artist
Dan Dunson’s artistic talent was recognized early. In elementary school, his teachers excused him from regular class on Friday afternoons so that he could create extracurricular art in the school’s art department. Ultimately, however, although he has always loved to draw and paint, he did not follow frequent suggestions that he pursue an art career. Having diverse interests, he wanted to do various things in life that would not have been possible for a struggling artist.
Happily, after an extensive tour of duty in non-art activities, Dan is now able to devote more time and energy to creating art. He currently focuses on painting “expressionist” pictures, “abstract” images, and “realistic” portraits. (Art categories are not defined with precision and not to be taken too seriously; hence the quotation marks.) Some of Dan’s paintings are hybrids that include both figurative and abstract images.
Expressionism. A more accurate name for this part of his work might be “anything-that’s-not-abstract-art-and-not-realistic-portraiture.” Calling these oil paintings “expressionist” just means they’re not entirely realistic and are meant to convey feelings and ideas through distortions in colors, shapes or scale.
The content and intention of these figurative pictures vary widely. Some address looming uncertainties regarding the human condition and might be disquieting or even fearsome. Some portray aspects of unraveling social fabric or offer sociopolitical commentary. A few are fanciful and simply meant to be fun.
Abstraction. Dan’s abstract oil paintings, which range from “abstract expressionism” and “lyrical abstraction” to “postminimalism,” are open to various interpretations informed by the viewer’s experience and imagination.
Portraiture. Virtually all his portraits are of women who are intelligent and beautiful. When drawing or painting a portrait, he strives to capture a likeness of the subject’s spirit as well as her physical beauty.
Dan studied drawing and painting at the Greenwich Art Society Studio School.
He resides in Connecticut with his wife Cheryl Dunson.
Non-art Activities
Dan graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State, where he was a mathematics major in the arts and sciences honors program. After graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School, he joined a preeminent law firm headquartered in New York City and was a partner there for 30 years.
Dan is a published constitutional law scholar who has been cited in legal briefs filed with various Federal Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is also a self-confessed lifelong math and philosophy nerd, an alleged good dancer, and an erstwhile motorcyclist and amateur formula car racer.
