Bio Daniel Wise is a fine artist living in the Washington DC metro area who works primarily in soft (dry) pastel. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA) and Full Member of the Maryland Pastel Society. Daniel captures the essence of his surroundings with bold strokes and pleasant color harmonies. His landscapes are created on location—in the plein air tradition—and in the studio from his field studies and photos. Pastels are often thought of as a drawing medium; however, Daniel’s use of shape, value, color and confidant stokes help defy this misconception. His paintings are just that, paintings. At first look, many people mistake them to be oil paintings. Daniel grew up in Colorado where his love of the landscape developed at an early age. As early as he can remember, he spent many weekends and summers in the wilderness with his family often camping in remote areas where—at the time—few people cared to venture. Other than an occasional building or fence, Daniel’s focus is on the landscape. When asked why he doesn’t put people in his paintings he says, “many of my paintings are about the landscape and when a landscape includes figures, the figures become the subject and the landscape becomes the backdrop.” Photo credit: Penny Stewart

Education Daniel considers himself to be a perpetual student of art claiming that he has only “begun to learn” how to paint. After studying at Pratt Institute, Daniel earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting and drawing from the University of Denver and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cardinal Stritch University. Additional studies include: Denver Art Students’ League, The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, and workshops with Kim Lordier and Albert Handell.