Artist and illustrator Dan Remmel has spent a lifetime painting murals and works of art that highlight his penchant for realism and fantasy genres. He says, “As a teenager, I was very much into fantasy and surrealism but I didn’t really have the skills to pull it off, so I learned classical realist technique and occasionally return to fantasy these days.”
Collectors will notice the paintings are realistic, but Remmel defines them more as “loosely realistic, meaning that I’m not trying to photographically reproduce a scene, nor am I being intentionally stylized.” Instead, the aesthetic has developed naturally in his work from trying many styles and techniques over the years, and it alters slightly to suit each painting. 
Morning Glories, acrylic, 16 x 20"
“My landscapes are all based on my own photo references and on-scene sketches I make,” Remmel explains. “My fantasy works are often a composite of photos, doodles and imagination.”
His inspiration comes from everywhere in nature, but many of his newest paintings are derived from his recent travels. Among his latest pieces is View from Orteisi, which is from the Italian Dolomites. “I felt that softening the shapes better captured the atmosphere of the place,” he explains. Another new work, Morning Glories, depicts wildflowers growing in the warm Mexican sun. 
View from Orteisi, acrylic, 30 x 40"
Ripples, acrylic, 20 x 30"
“The contrast of the cool morning glories and forest background with the warm weeds and flowers gives punch to this painting,” he shares. And a third painting, Ripples, depicts two kayakers in a canal in Strasbourg that he took a photo of while visiting the French city.
Remmel is an award-winning artist, having received an Award of Excellence in the 2020 National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society’s spring online exhibition and the Abstract Excellence Award in the 2020 12th Biennial National Juried Exhibition at the Punta Gorda, Florida, visual arts center. —
Powered by Froala Editor
