Dan Simoneau has been painting for more than 45 years. The artist grew up in Maine and received his BFA at the University of Southern Maine with a major in painting. While he works with a variety of subjects, Simoneau primarily uses acrylics to paint the male figure in a contemporary realist style, influenced by the chiaroscuro techniques of Caravaggio and the compositions of Philip Pearlstein.
Hope is a Waking Dream, acrylic, 36 x 36"
Wet, acrylic, 36 x 36"“My muse, John, appears in many of my works,” says Simoneau, referring to his piece End of the Day. “This work was created as a demonstration piece during a lecture for the painting class at our local state university. I wanted to emphasize my use of light and shadow while also capturing a specific emotion or event. I also wanted to emphasize the use of space to balance a composition.”
The black-and-white portrait Wet is a closely cropped view of a man with water pouring down his face. “In this piece, I sought two goals: to create a purely monochrome figurative work with high impact and to capture the wetness of the water on the model’s face,” says Simoneau. “The large scale of the portrait is quite powerful in person.” The painting measures at 36 by 36 inches.
Modern Narcissus, acrylic, 36 x 36"
End of the Day, acrylic, 24 x 24"
Simoneau’s work has been exhibited and published on a national and international scale. He has also won numerous awards through the years, including several best of show awards in international competitions. His work can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide, as well as in several United States museum collections. He currently holds signature status in several major art associations including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the International Society of Acrylic Painters (Master) and the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic. He is also recognized as an ARC Living Artist by the Art Renewal Center. —
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