Dan Shepherd

ARTIST STATEMENT

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 will explore our connection to nature by asking people to Draw Me a Tree. But not just any tree, Dan is 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.

ABOUT DAN

My approach to photography comes from a love of painting. Specifically, I seek the emotion, color and form of the abstract expressionists. My work often employs strong graphic intention and in-camera multiple exposures to create an abstract representation of the subject in the moment. It is my wish to elicit a reaction of emotion based on form, texture and color rather than solely object documentary.

Dan Shepherd was raised in the Pacific Northwest, enjoyed his creative years in New York City and now finds himself a recent transplant in Los Angeles. He currently splits his time between the visual arts and working for conservation organizations. 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, BA in Japanese from the University of Oregon.