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Dan May Paintings

American, b. 1955
Dan May is an American painter and printmaker born on March 11, 1955 in San Francisco, CA. Raised in aesthetic surroundings heavily influenced by his architect father, May grew up learning to view all things with an eye for design, color, and shape. At age 5, he remembers his father cutting up a book of drawings by Henri Matisse and hanging them on the walls of their home. The French master Matisse as well as Richard Diebenkorn and David Hockney are his favorite art influences. He began his first attempts at painting at age 15, and later began to experiment with printmaking, teaching himself various techniques such as woodblock printing, etching, silkscreen printing, and monoprinting. Monoprinting soon became May's medium of choice due to its wide range of expression and spontaneity that he felt other techniques lacked. May - "With monoprinting, you can only work a piece for as a long as the paint stays wet, so the resulting print has a feeling of movement and immediacy. I also like how monoprinting allows the brush strokes to transfer a transparent light quality to the print. For me, this is a technique that bridges drawing, painting, and emotions." The themes of May's prints borrow from his fantasies, memories, and the people and places he has seen in life's checkout lines and waiting rooms. "My work allows me to be a voyeur, to see through the walls into life's secrets, and unveil the hidden stories of everyday life," he says. Color and design are essential elements in May's work. Exploring and playing with color is a huge source of enjoyment and passion for May. "Working with color combinations, playing color against color to create an electric contrast, never ceases to excite me," he says. May finds working color with design elements and balancing compositions is challenging, frustrating, and supremely rewarding. Today, Dan May lives and works in Oakland, California. He has shown his paintings and prints in galleries predominantly throughout California and his work is in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States and the world.
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Artist: Dan May
'Temptation', Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Salem, Oregon
'Temptation', Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Salem, Oregon

'Temptation', Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Salem, Oregon

By Dan May

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Painted by Dan May (American, 1952-2019) circa 2010, and stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity. After study with Larry Stobie at Oregon College of Education, Dan May e...

Category

2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

'Figural', Post Impressionist, Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Gallery
'Figural', Post Impressionist, Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Gallery

'Figural', Post Impressionist, Portland Art Museum, Albright-Knox Gallery

By Dan May

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Signed upper left, 'May' for Dan May (American, 1952-2019) and dated June, 2017. After study with Larry Stobie at Oregon College of Education, Dan May exhibited in his galleries 'Th...

Category

2010s Dan May Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Postcard

Cowboy /// Contemporary Pop Portrait Painting Funny Man Sheriff Dan May American
Cowboy /// Contemporary Pop Portrait Painting Funny Man Sheriff Dan May American

Cowboy /// Contemporary Pop Portrait Painting Funny Man Sheriff Dan May American

By Dan May

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-) Title: "Cowboy" *Signed by May upper right Circa: 2020 Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on Board Framing: Framed in a contemporary black moulding F...

Category

2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings

Materials

Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board, Panel

Devil Drive /// Contemporary Painting Canvas Funny Pop Street Art Car Driving
Devil Drive /// Contemporary Painting Canvas Funny Pop Street Art Car Driving

Devil Drive /// Contemporary Painting Canvas Funny Pop Street Art Car Driving

By Dan May

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-) Title: "Devil Drive" *Signed and dated by May upper right Year: 1998 Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on heavy wove paper Sheet size: 28.13" x 21.6...

Category

1990s Contemporary Dan May Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Paint

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Previously Available Items
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Dan May paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Dan May paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of purple, red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Dan May in acrylic paint, paint, synthetic resin paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Dan May paintings, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Dan May paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $400 and tops out at $5,000, while the average work can sell for $1,400.