Dan Daugherty Biography

Born in Southern California, Dan was the second of three children, one older brother and a younger sister.  He grew up in the Bay area with only his mother, Brother and Sister.  His first memory of his father was on his seventh Christmas when his Father showed up and gave him an erector set.

   Dan was always putting that Erector set through many different changes.  He didn’t see his father again until he was thirty years old, but the gift had done it’s job.  He built everything he could think of with it and just a few years later he was welding things together from tin cans, to nuts, bolts and washers and whatever else he could get his hands on.

   Throughout the years, Dan worked in Industrial functions.  He was always painting signs, fabricating mechanisms, repairing and building everything mechanical including Completely rebuilding his pride and joy, a 1964 Dodge Polara 500 that was in several Car shows. 

   In the early 80’s, With a Son of his own, Dan was reunited with his Father who he really knew nothing about, but quickly learned much about him.  As a Structural Steel Draftsman, His Father had hoped the erector set would shape Dans life without him being there.  It was a great choice.  Father and Son had much in common and bonded quickly, spending many hours creating tools and repairing broken and worn out ones.

   During a length of time on Disability for a shoulder injury, Dan decided to pass the time by picking up a paint brush.  Discovering that he had the knack for oil painting, took a class to hone his skills, but later decided that his artwork needed his own thoughts and processes to develop on their own.  It was during this period that Dan painted portraits and Northwest scenery in Oils. 

   Even after returning to work, as a Landscaper in Arizona, Dan found a way to create, by changing over grown landscapes into artwork by planting, Pruning, and sculpting trees.

   Now, Years later, Disabled by severe back issues, Dans desire to create is still burning.  Dan has returned to his first love, Steel.  With some help from his Son and Working from a chair, sometimes for an hour, other times for only an few minutes at a time, Dans Creating helps keep his mind off of the pain.  He refuses to allow his creative energies to be snuffed out.

The short years that Dan and his Father spent together before his Father passed away were very well spent in travel, Creating and appreciating the knowledge they shared.  Dan gives the credit for his creativity to his Father who, without the thoughtful gift of the erector set, may not have ever been drawn to creativity.  Even now as Dan creates, he still uses the same tools he and his father used and created together.

   Striving to keep his work positive, energetic and Whimsical, Dan is always coming up with new and fresh ideas for his sculptures.  He loves to create Kinetic pieces that move or imply movement.  Dan prefers to work with abandoned, used and scrap steel.  Turning junk into something beautiful as it was meant to be in the first place.  Dan has even been known to throw a painting into the mix once in a while for fun.