Biography

Dan Schultz began his artistic journey at age 17 when he won the top award for one of his drawings in a national competition for high school students. He went on to graduate with honors from the commercial art program at Pensacola Christian College in Florida where he gained a strong foundation in the fundamentals of representational art.

Drawing inspiration from master artists as varied as John Singer Sargent, William Wendt, John William Waterhouse and many others, Schultz continued to sharpen his drawing and painting skills at Cottonwood Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was soon asked to become an instructor at Cottonwood, making him the youngest to join the group of professional artists teaching there.

After several years of teaching at Cottonwood and painting in the Colorado Springs area, Schultz moved his family to Ojai, California where he opened a gallery and studio to showcase his work. His main focus continues to be his paintings of figures in the landscape, as well as plein air landscape and portraiture. In order to capture the connections that occur between artist, subject and viewer, he often chooses a color scheme that is simple and harmonious, always catching a strong sense of light. This allows him to express his connection with each work of art he creates, and allows the viewer to experience a direct connection back to him as the artist.

Schultz’s work continues to gain national recognition in a variety of subjects and media. Southwest Art magazine featured his work in its September, 2004, "21 Under 31" article. His work received the First Place award in the 10th Annual American Impressionist Society National Show, and has received awards from the Art Renewal Center and the Portrait Society of America. He holds memberships in the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, the Oil Painters of America and the California Art Club. His paintings are included in many gallery and museum exhibitions each year.

Schultz is also becoming a sought-after painting instructor and was recently honored to teach a workshop in Alberta, Canada to a group of Canadian artists. He teaches at his studio in Ojai, California as well.

With the help and support of his wife Sarah and son Ian, Schultz’s journey continues as he creates each new piece of art. His classes and workshops enable him to share his knowledge with other artists as they explore their own artistic journeys. And above all, he searches for the special connection that art can provide between the Creator of the universe, the beauty of our world and the living soul.