. . .

ABOUT DAN

Dan Shepherd was raised in the Pacific Northwest, enjoyed many creative years in New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle before finding himself based in San Jose, CA. The balance between urban living and love of nature is an ongoing pursuit for him and a universal human theme that drives his artistic practice. When he is not making art, he loves to champion the art of others. Dan is the owner and director of GALLERY1/1 that specializes in alternative process and experimental photography as well as an occasional Guest Editor for LENSCRATCH – Fine Art Photography Daily and a Contributing Writer for Don’t Take Pictures Magazine.

Dan has a Masters in Environmental Science from Columbia University and an International Diploma in Plant Conservation from the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew in England, as well as a BA in Japanese from the University of Oregon.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My approach to photography comes from a love of drawing & painting, which I combined with a conceptual sensibility driven by a love for science and nature.

For limited-edition prints contact:

heist gallery, London, UK

PHOTO SERIES STATEMENTS

FOR THE BIRDS

The human eye has evolved to be quite sensitive to movement which aided basic needs of hunting and protection. If a bird flew by odds are good you would “see” it but we routinely miss birds perched in trees if they are not singing or moving. This series is a fun exercise in “seeing” birds in trees.

DRAW ME A TREE, asks the viewer if we remember when we had a stubby crayon in our hands and happily scrawled out our houses, our cats, a blue sky with the sun up in the corner and a tree in the yard? One of the few artistic endeavors that we all have in common is drawing a tree and with this ongoing project Dan explores our connection to nature by asking people to Draw Me a Tree. But not just any tree, Dan has been asking people to partner with him and illustrate the trees that have had some impact in their lives and together they visit these special trees and document them through a unique double exposure process. Draw Me a Tree helps show how intrinsically connected to nature we are through a series of visual tree stories that can be found everywhere in our yards, parks, gardens, forests, and streets.

BLINDED BY SCIENCE

Some say ignorance is bliss. As a former botanical professional, a walk through a garden for Dan can be a challenge to just enjoy the colors, shapes and textures when his brain is clouded with lots of scientific plant details. With this series, he is using the power of abstraction to filter out the science details in his head which lets him focus on the pure beauty of nature and create unique portraits of the trees and plants. As Dan continues to visit some of his favorite botanical locations, he is creating image collections that reflects what he has seen in the gardens.

BATTLE OF BROOKLYN

In 1776, one month after declaring independence, we fought the British for the first time as the United States of America right here on Lookout Hill in Prospect Park. 230 years after the The Battle of Brooklyn, Dan stood on this same hill and contemplated his own new found independence in NYC. Prospect Park is so thickly imbued with history old and new being made every day. With this series, Dan is abstractly celebrating his place in the ongoing personal histories of the park.

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EXHIBITIONS

2018
– Blinded By Science, Solo Show, University Unitarian, Seattle
– Made By Hand, Group Show, GALLERY 1/1, Seattle
2017
– Blinded By Science and Battle of Brooklyn, Solo Show, ArtUp Phinneywood, Seattle
2016
– Sense of Place, group show, GALLERY 1/1, Seattle
– Los Angeles Pop Up! One Night In LA, GALLERY 1/1, Los Angeles, CA
2014
– Faces of America, dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, group exhibition
– HEIST Gallery, London, UK, gallery launch group exhibition
– Double Exposure, Feature Shoot, online group exhibition
– Blinded by Science | Alaska & California Collections, dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, solo exhibition
– Trees, A. Smith Gallery, Johnson City, Texas, group exhibition, winner of the “Director’s Award”
2013
– Draw Me A Tree, Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Nevada City, CA, solo exhibition
2012
– Blinded by Science, dnj Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA, solo exhibition
– The Next: Emerging LA Artists, The Perfect Exposure Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– Green, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Ft. Collins, CO, group exhibition
– Occupy Melrose, Neon Venus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– Harmonious Tableau, ADC Contemporary, Santa Monica, CA, group exhibition
– Looking for Home, Brewery Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA, group show
2011
– Draw Me A Tree, f/9 Photography Collective Gallery, Culver City, CA, solo exhibition
– Blinded by Science, f/9 Photography Collective Gallery, Culver City, CA, group exhibition
– The Nature of Trees, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, juried exhibition
– The Next: L.A. Photographers 2011, Julia Dean Photographic Workshops, Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– Summer Show, Neon Venus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– Trees R Us, Neon Venus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– Life Support Japan, wall space gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, group exhibition
2010
– Concatenation, Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts (LACDA) Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
– L.A. N D S C A P E S, Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts (LACDA) Los Angeles, CA, group exhibition
2008
– Obama, ARTBREAK Gallery, Brooklyn NY, group exhibition
1998
– Hands On Color, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA, solo installation
– New Media Lab, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle WA, group exhibition

SELECTED PUBICATIONS/BIBLIOGRAPHY/AWARDS
– The Hand Magazine #9, 2015
– LENSCRATCH – Terra Nova feature, July 6, 2015
– Director’s Award, Trees Exhibition, A. Smith Gallery, Johnson City, Texas, 2014
– Blinded By Science | Alaska & California Collections, dnj Gallery Exhibition Catalog , 2014
– Altered Realities, PhotoPlace Gallery Exhibition Catalog, 2014
– Birds: Real and Imagined, PhotoPlace Gallery Exhibition Catalog, 2013
– Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Photography Contest, Honorable Mention, 2012
– Abstract Expressions, PhotoPlace Gallery Exhibition Catalog, 2012
– Blinded By Science| Central Park Collection, dnj Gallery Exhibition Catalog , 2012
– Orion Magazine, January/February, 2012
– Lenscratch, photo blog, featured July 3, 2012. http://www.lenscratch.com/2012/07/dan-shepherd.html
– Abstraction, F-Stop Magazine, Issue #44, 2011
– The Next: LA Photographers 2011, Exhibition Catalog, 2011
– The Nature of Trees, PhotoPlace Gallery Exhibition Catalog, 2011
– Bush, Bill, “This Artweek LA”, The Huffington Post, April, 5, 2011.
– Jake Abrahamson, “Nature Photographers Flash Their Stuff”, Sierra Club blog, November, 14, 2011

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS
– Artist Talk and Workshop on Art and Activism, Wild & Scenic Film Festival, January, 2013
– Artist Talk, dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, July 2012
– Artist Talk and Photowalk, TreePeople Park, Los Angeles, CA July, 2012
– OPEN SHOW San Francisco, “Project Earth @ Sierra Club HQ”, November, 2011
– Guest Lecture, Julia Dean Photographic Workshops, Finding Your Vision, October, 2011
– OPEN SHOW LA, #7, Focus Studios, June, 2011
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