Dan Motill
" A Man About Towns "
Dan is a retired IBM Manager who spent 28 years in various Engineering and Management positions. For 20 years, he pursued Artistic technique perfection as a major secondary career. Now, he is devoting full time to Art as his main vocation.
He has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Bucknell) and many credits
toward a similar Degree in Computer Science. In his early career, he worked as
a Draftsman and Designer of Industrial Machinery that started his intense love
of the visual Arts. The resulting formal technical degrees helped to develop
his sense of balance and regularity. Also, being a history buff led him to
the love of Americana Landscapes in the Primitive Tradition.
He has been featured in the Christmas Issue of Country Views Magazine due to
his work on winter landscapes and holiday themes. Also, a current project
dealing with artistic reconstruction of Villages in the American Primitive
Tradition has been reviewed in the Lake Takes section of the Finger Lakes
Magazine. These Village-scapes capture the essential current spirit of the
community and reconstruct major structures or industries that have suffered
with changing times. His primitive "Cayuga Country" hung in the offices of the
NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art because it captures the Americana flavor of
country life along the west bank of Lake Cayuga in upstate NY. After reviewing
his focus and style, Notre Dame University commissioned several pieces dealing
with the changing and evolving nature of its campus. His work and current
career have been featured on The NBC Today Show. Several important pieces
have been purchased by Broome Community College for their Outstanding Local
Artists Gallery. Wilson Hospital in Binghamton, The IBM Corp., and the
Corning OnCare Co. are recipients of his work.
Previously, the Artist was honored at the Brockport Arts Festival with Best of Show, First Second and Third Place Fine Arts Awards . He has also been recognized at the Palmyra Canal Days Festival with a First Place Award and was voted the People's Favorite Artist at the Sayre Arts and Crafts Fair. Most recently, at the Naples Grape Festival and the Hilton Apple Festival, his work was awarded Best of the Painting/Drawing participants.
His art techniques have ranged from ink illustrations to mixed media acrylic
painting and watercolor. Currently, all original work is done with
environmentally-friendly acrylic paints. To share his work, the artist
generates affordable reproductions which are produced, framed and matted within
his studio. He invites young artists to work in the studio as a learning
experience and supports Public School art programs with material and field
trips. His work content, studio operations, and Gallery have been featured in
local newspapers such as Fingers Lakes Community Papers, The Seneca County Arts
Council, and The Reveille.
For Ovid, his newly acquired community,
the artist had designed and proposed a
Federal Stamp which acknowledges the historic significance and beauty of the
oldest County Government Complex in New York and which is locally known as
"The Three Bears". Recently, the Postal Service declined the proposal, but
the decorative stamps are still in use through out the Village.
In recent years, a natural symbiosis has occurred between the artists interests
in Art, Architecture, Preservation, and Community. While his Art is a momentary
expression of historic restoration, his community involvement is a living
testimony toward this goal.
Personal commitment to the community is embodied in
his active involvement in the four local Historic Societies; two as a founding
Director and the others as a supportive member.
He chaired the restoration
campaign of a local 108 year old Church and is currently President of a non
profit Corporation for the preservation of the oldest County Court house
complex in New York which is commonly called, "The Three Bears" and has become
his symbol (as in the Stamp).
The two dimensional depiction of a community has to successfully coexist with the humanity of the community. In nurturing this dimension, the artist has been an Officer of the Ovid-Willard Lions Club for six years and a local District Officer. His is an active supporter of the Romulus Foundation for Educational Opportunities which uses private funds to enrich public school experience to which he donates. (see the School House Series). He firmly believes that the greatest asset a parent can pass to a child is an enduring Value System that includes; respect for life, valuing education, appreciating the goodness of others, and a willingness to share talent.
The artist believes that everyone is an emerging artist and deserves the chance to share their work with the community. As such, with several Banks and Resturants, the Studio sponsors a program called, "Celebrating Local Talent" which seeks to discover artists who are willing to endure public examination of their current artist developmental level. This program continues successfully.
The whole artist was recently honored by the Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes in their "Sharing the Light Award" along with the Pastor of the Ovid Federated Church and distinguished other people.
The mechanics of making a picture are not the measure of the person.
A full range of his work can be seen by appointment:
Dan Motill's Studio
PO Box 901 Ovid, NY 14521-0901
Phone: (607) 869-9585
Email
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