GUILFORD – Thirteen original works of local artist Dan Harrington will be on display through the end of December in the community room at the Sidney Memorial Public Library, 8 River St., as the lifelong Guilford resident prepares to open his own studio in the coming months.
According to the artist, painting commissions, prints of his work, professional wedding and portrait photography, professional photo printing, photo restoration and alterations, professional framing and, possibly, art instruction will all be available at the proposed studio.
Harrington, who’s had a love for drawing, and art in general for as long as he can remember, said it was a chance discovery at his grandmother’s funeral which cemented his passion for the arts.
“Growing up, I became very interested in art but I had no real direction or guidance,” stated the 33-year-old Harrington. “The moment when everything clicked for me was when I saw my first Daniel K. Tennant painting.”
Harrington said he was captivated by the Tennant paintings which adorned the funeral home where his grandmother was laid to rest. The thought of studying under Tennant – who taught art at the Bainbridge-Guilford High School at the time – was exciting, he added.
Determined to learn as much as he possibly could under Tennant’s direction, Harrington said one of his earliest recollections as a student involved drawing and shading the four basic three-dimensional shapes. The exercise allowed him to begin “seeing” as an artist, he added.
“I started to see how things could be reduced to basic shapes and then shaded into realistic looking objects,” stated Harrington of Tennant’s early lessons. “He taught me that drawing is the basis for painting. The following year, I did my first painting, which was done in acrylic.”
While he enjoyed his first foray into painting, Harrington said he didn’t feel like that particular medium suited his talents. It wasn’t until he attended another Tennant class, focused on water media, that he found his true calling.
Mr. Tennant’s love of watercolor showed in his lessons, stated Harrington, and his mastery of the medium – along with his good nature and sense of humor – was infectious.
“I soon learned that watercolor painting is one of the most challenging and rewarding mediums and I immediately loved working with watercolor,” said the artist.
Tennant later introduced his young prodigy to the Gouache style, which he called a perfect fit for his talents.
Opaque, the difficult and unique style dries quickly, which enabled Harrington to make crisp details or soft washes. For the past 17 years the Gouache style has been his sole medium.
“I put in many hours and pour over all of the details in my work,” stated Harrington. “I have painted many different subjects, but I find as I’m getting older that I am putting more of myself into my work. I’m thinking as much about what I’m painting as I am about how I’m painting it.”
When he’s able to make that connection, Harrington said it pushes his work to another level.
Prints of Harrington’s work can be purchased at www.danharrington.etsy.com.