Daniel Bethune

Born in central California in 1956, Daniel and his family moved to San Diego when he was nine. By his tenth birthday, his parents had noticed his artistic gifts and promptly encouraged him to develop his talents by giving him an oil painting set – he has been painting ever since.

Although mostly self-taught, Daniel participated in independent and small group art studies with several renowned artists/instructors. His first works were shown to the public in 1990. He joined a small coop art gallery in Kaneohe, Hawaii, and it was there that he made his first sales. He went on to show his works in galleries throughout the state of Hawaii, including one in Waikiki, located at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Today, Daniel’s works are collected internationally.

In 2000, Daniel began teaching outdoor “en Plein air” painting to adults. He continued teaching and participating in solo and group shows.

In 2005, Daniel and his wife, Kay Kenton, a fellow artist, left the Islands and moved to New Mexico. In the serenity of the desert, Daniel built his new studio where he set out to hone his artistic skills, further developing his unique artistic vision and more consciously create his art. The resulting works capture the New Mexico landscape, seen through his distinct artist’s eyes.

Daniel values diversity and freedom in his artistic expression. He paints in a variety of styles and mediums and takes exception to the idea that he could become pigeon-holed into one style. Daniel relies on a limited pallet - using mainly three and sometimes up to six colors. In most cases, the secondary colors are mixed from the primary colors he chooses. His approach is mainly alla prima or direct painting. However, recently, he has been working with a more layered approach with a traditional glazing technique and, simultaneously, he has returned to his love of the Surreal, by painting and drawing in this technique. He has also been working on more abstract pieces, which have caught much attention.

Artist’s Statement:

“Painting is more than processing an image; it is an act of manifesting a vision. Whether it is a drawing or a painting, the most important aspect to creating a work is to rely on intuitive inspiration. Of course, the fundamentals of design, composition, color harmony and the like are very important to the creative process. However, technique and skill without inspiration or an artistic vision will only produce mediocrity.”

“Another component of the painting process to be considered is the viewer’s partici¬pation. This is vital because when a work has too much information or a lack of artistic inspiration then the viewer isn’t asked to participate in the process. A good painting should engage the viewer, and hopefully reveal inspiration with each visit.”