"In the Shadows of Dreams" a solo show featuring Daniel Dust

PRESS RELEASE:
Distinction Gallery is pleased to present:
“In the Shadows of Dreams” Solo show featuring Daniel Dust


March 10 – April 7, 2018
Distinction Gallery is proud to present “In the Shadows of Dreams” a solo exhibition featuring hyper –realism paintings by Seattle based artist Daniel Dust. The exhibition will include a variety of paintings including figurative works and his gun/flower works ranging in size from 12 x 12 inches to large-scale works as large as 6 feet across. The opening reception with Dust will be held on Saturday March 10, from 6-10pm. The reception will include live music, ArtHatch open studios, BK Cellars Wine, and Stone Brewery Beer.
Daniel Dust: Artist Statement
I challenge truths and realities through paint and canvas. 
I utilize color isolation symbolically. I use delicate detail to draw the viewer into my paintings until they consume the viewer whole. And I try to provide provocative narratives within a societal context. Because as Earnst Fischer once said, "In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it."
I paint what I see. 
I've had no formal training. I've instead learned through personal study and observation. Formal training might provide shortcuts and valuable insights - but so does practice, and research.
I was born in Washington and grew up in Oregon. As a result, I have a love of nature and the west coast. The juxtaposed materialism and nature are constant themes in my work and, as I said before, I paint what I see.
My work represents the optimism and obstacles of our species’ transition from materialistic individualism. It’s both my hope and expectation that what makes us uniquely human – embodied, in part, by our art - will be more appreciated, more valued, and more celebrated in the future.
Gallery Director Melissa Inez Walker “Daniel Dust is one of the artists I am most excited about working with in 2018.  His works are thought provoking and his skill level for such a young artist is mind blowing.  Being in front of one of his works is comparable to staring into a photograph, only far more complex”.
 
The exhibition will run from March 10 – April 7, 2018. The opening reception with many artists, live music, ArtHatch open studios, Stone Beer, and BK Cellars wine will be on Saturday March 10, from 6-10pm.
 
ArtHatch is a 7,000 square foot building which houses Distinction Gallery: exhibitions changing monthly, multiple exhibition spaces featuring work by represented artists, "The Alley" featuring over 20 local artists, 14 artist studios, ranging in size from 150 to 800 square feet, featuring local artists, and the ArtHatch teens.