THOMAS AQUINAS DALY
THOMAS AQUINAS DALY was born in Albany, New York in 1937. Educated as a graphic artist at the University of Buffalo, Daly worked as a commercial artist and printer for two decades before becoming a full-time artist in 1981. Six years later, Daly moved to a farm near Arcade, New York, a place well-suited for Daly’s lifelong enthusiasm for nature and sport. This enthusiasm also provides the driving spirit of Daly’s luminous landscapes and still-lifes. Working primarily in oils and watercolors, Daly strikes a balance in his paintings between the vision of the artist and the perspective of the outdoorsman. His works -- building on the traditions of painters like John La Forge and Winslow Homer --push the boundaries of traditional sporting and wildlife art. The resulting view of the natural world is unique to Daly. In his landscapes, fly fishermen and hunters occupy landscapes as naturally and harmoniously as trees and clouds and water; in his still lifes, the spoils and equipment of hunting and fishing reveal their own innate harmonies. All lyrically evoke the intimate and ancient relationship between man and nature. This relationship is more than just the subject of Daly’s paintings; it is the central concern of the artist’s life. Daly truly lives the subject of his paintings, an inseparable union between artist and work that he has frequently acknowledged. Daly’s work has been displayed in many solo exhibitions at galleries, museums, and universities throughout the United States. His paintings also reside in the collections of numerous individuals and galleries, including the Grand Central Art Gallery and the John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art. In 1987, he received the Grand Central Art Gallery’s gold medal from former President Gerald Ford. Daly was one of eighteen artists included in Briar Patch Press’ Masters of the Wild (1990). His paintings have also been the subjects of two books, Painting Nature’s Quiet Places (1985) and The Painting Season (1998). |
Russell Fink Gallery |