Dan Werstuk comes to us with his soft pastel drawings that have a photo-realism quality about them.
Growing up in Northern Ontario has given Dan an appreciation of Muskoka, Algonquin and other points further north, all which he uses for inspiration. The mist, the sunrises and sunsets and forests all come to life in his pastels. The flowing landscapes, warm colours and soft tones Dan uses give his drawings a calming and serene effect
Artist Statement
Like most artists, I’ve used the traditional art mediums of oil, acrylic and watercolour. It wasn’t until I saw a number of contemporary paintings in pastel that I moved toward that medium.
The richness and purity of colour caught my attention and I saw the possibilities. The first painting I did in pastel was a winter scene of a bridge over the Black River, a fishing spot that was a favourite of my father-in-law. In making that painting I learned a number of lessons. Pastel is a forgiving medium. I can stop and start painting any time as there’s no waiting for paint to dry. It’s a dry medium with colours that can be blended and manipulated on the surface. It was a eureka moment: I had found my medium. Within a short period of time I was able to achieve the kind of representational painting to which I aspired.
Garden scenes and wildflowers, antique boats built in Muskoka and scenes taken from travels with my family have all made there way onto my easel. I grew up in Gravenhurst on Lake Muskoka just up the bay from where many of the wooden boats were made. Some of those boats are antiques now and you’ll still see them throughout the summer cruising up the lake. The warmth of the wood, the brilliance of the chrome, flags waving and the waves abstracting the reflections make for dynamic compositions. I will often sharpen the edge of the pastels to get those fine details. The details take extra care and much more time but I love painting them.
Algonquin Park has been the source of inspiration for most of my painting. The magic of rising mist, glorious sunrises and sunsets, waterlilies, their stems disappearing into the depths are some of the images that I like to present. I’ve been told that a lot of my paintings have a calming effect or meditative quality. I like to think it flows from the great appreciation I have for the northern Ontario landscape.
Biography
Dan Werstuk was born in Ontario in 1949 and grew up in Gravenhurst on Lake Muskoka. He attended the Ontario College of Art from 1969 to 1973 and continued to paint and draw from personal interest while working in the printing industry until 1990.
Since 1990 Dan has made painting and drawing his career. In his exploration of different mediums of expression, Dan found that pastel was ideally suited to him. He can paint and draw in the same composition, blending and layering colour in his highly realistic landscape paintings.
Dan’s art reflects his appreciation of Muskoka, Algonquin and points further north. His paintings evoke the feelings of peace and tranquility and focus on the impact of changing light and weather on sky and water and scenery through the day and through the seasons. He lives in the village of Midhurst near Barrie where he has the country out his back door. These vantage points are captured in his paintings: from the grand vistas of Algonquin Park only accessible by canoe to the antique boats cruising the lakes to floral compositions from the backyard garden.
Dan’s paintings are available through the artist or through The Framing Place in Huntsville, Scott’s of Muskoka in Bracebridge, and the Koyman Gallery, 2121 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.
Like most artists, I’ve used the traditional art mediums of oil, acrylic and watercolour. It wasn’t until I saw a number of contemporary paintings in pastel that I moved toward that medium.
The richness and purity of colour caught my attention and I saw the possibilities. The first painting I did in pastel was a winter scene of a bridge over the Black River, a fishing spot that was a favourite of my father-in-law. In making that painting I learned a number of lessons. Pastel is a forgiving medium. I can stop and start painting any time as there’s no waiting for paint to dry. It’s a dry medium with colours that can be blended and manipulated on the surface. It was a eureka moment: I had found my medium. Within a short period of time I was able to achieve the kind of representational painting to which I aspired.
Garden scenes and wildflowers, antique boats built in Muskoka and scenes taken from travels with my family have all made there way onto my easel. I grew up in Gravenhurst on Lake Muskoka just up the bay from where many of the wooden boats were made. Some of those boats are antiques now and you’ll still see them throughout the summer cruising up the lake. The warmth of the wood, the brilliance of the chrome, flags waving and the waves abstracting the reflections make for dynamic compositions. I will often sharpen the edge of the pastels to get those fine details. The details take extra care and much more time but I love painting them.
Algonquin Park has been the source of inspiration for most of my painting. The magic of rising mist, glorious sunrises and sunsets, waterlilies, their stems disappearing into the depths are some of the images that I like to present. I’ve been told that a lot of my paintings have a calming effect or meditative quality. I like to think it flows from the great appreciation I have for the northern Ontario landscape.
Biography
Dan Werstuk was born in Ontario in 1949 and grew up in Gravenhurst on Lake Muskoka. He attended the Ontario College of Art from 1969 to 1973 and continued to paint and draw from personal interest while working in the printing industry until 1990.
Since 1990 Dan has made painting and drawing his career. In his exploration of different mediums of expression, Dan found that pastel was ideally suited to him. He can paint and draw in the same composition, blending and layering colour in his highly realistic landscape paintings.
Dan’s art reflects his appreciation of Muskoka, Algonquin and points further north. His paintings evoke the feelings of peace and tranquility and focus on the impact of changing light and weather on sky and water and scenery through the day and through the seasons. He lives in the village of Midhurst near Barrie where he has the country out his back door. These vantage points are captured in his paintings: from the grand vistas of Algonquin Park only accessible by canoe to the antique boats cruising the lakes to floral compositions from the backyard garden.
Dan’s paintings are available through the artist or through The Framing Place in Huntsville, Scott’s of Muskoka in Bracebridge, and the Koyman Gallery, 2121 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.
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