Statement
My academic background is in biology/forest ecology, making my living managing the most comprehensive set of conservation lands in Maine focused on biodiversity. A lot of my time is spent traveling throughout the state inspecting sites, monitoring rare species and exemplary natural communities, and meeting with people to educate and ensure protection of our shared natural heritage. Art and photography have been a leisure pursuit, which I have viewed primarily as a distinct break from my vocation. Most recently, in the process of becoming more serious about my photography and carefully reviewing my imagery for larger-scale sharing, it became clear that this dichotomy between work and art was a figment, forcing me to reconsider these internally constructed boxes and reflect on myself more holistically as a person and an artist. ...coming to recognize how all of my experiences as an individual, including my training as a field biologist and student of nature, influence and inform my creativity and all that I do. It’s my hope that this direct acknowledgement is apparent in my web-portfolio, suggesting something greater than simple aesthetic, and leading to more engaging art.
My name is Dan. I live and work in Maine and like to make photographs.
Pears
This set of images started out as an art course assignment designed to explore still life. The pear, quite simply, provided me a straightforward subject in the still life tradition (like Cézanne and his apples) to formally explore the interaction of light, shadow, and form. Manipulation was my modest attempt to provide unique perspective, and give life and humor to the subject.
In a jar
As humans, we gather, catalog, and store things as part of organization that typically leads to some better understanding. Specimens, archives, collections, or even a roll of film can be means for deriving order. My aim at my own personal hierarchy of matter "in a jar" is not too dissimilar, in a way, from what a museum, a library, or a field biologist does.
Faces
Portraits taken of family and friends, some furrier than others.
More about my photography
I mainly use antique cameras and film, preferring the feel of this equipment and materials to meet vision. I process my own film and make silver gelatin prints by hand (i.e., optically enlarge). Digital content is primarily from flatbed scans of negatives or prints, though I do make photos with a 35mm digital SLR from time to time. My photographs have been used by many businesses and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, the American Museum of Natural History, Time, Inc., Men's Journal, the Boston Globe, The Yellow Pages Group, Spotify, Microsoft, and MTV.
Exhibitions and Events
2019 Sense of Sight - Portland Chamber of Commerce, Portland, Maine
2018 Photo -A- Go Go, The Bakery Photographic Collective, Portland, Maine
2016 Acadia Centennial Art Show, Winter Harbor, Maine
2014 Collect - Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2014 Create III - Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2014 Portland Framed - Westin Hotel, Portland, Maine
2013 Create - Maine College of Art, Portland, Maine
2012 Photo -A- Go Go, The Bakery Photographic Collective, Westbrook, Maine
2012 Edges of Vision - 3fish Gallery, Portland, Maine
Awards
2021 Artist in Residence - Hewnoaks Artist Colony, Lovell, Maine
2017 Artist in Residence - National Audubon Society, Hog Island
2015 Artist in Residence - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park
Education
M.S. Biology - Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
B.A. Biology - University of Maine at Farmington, Farmington, Maine, United States