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.
to
3
2
2
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
7
1
8
4
3
1
8
6
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
8
8
8
5
5
85
785
701
652
644
1
8
Artist: Dan May
Devil Painting his Models /// Contemporary Painting Figurative Nude Funny Art
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Devil Painting his Models"
*Signed and dated by May lower left
Year: 2001
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
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
'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 Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Postcard
'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
Lady with Bird and Cat II /// Contemporary Animal Figurative Modern Painting Art
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Lady with Bird and Cat II"
*Signed by May lower left. It is also signed and dated on verso
Year: 2020
Medium: ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
Lady with Bird and Cat /// Contemporary Pop Art Painting Wine Glass Interior
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Lady with Bird and Cat"
*Signed by May lower right. It is also signed and dated on verso
Year: 2020
Medium: Or...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
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
Criminal #23 /// Contemporary Pop Art Painting Jail Prisoner Funny Bandit Figure
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Criminal #23"
*Signed by May lower left. It is also signed on verso
Year: 2018
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on C...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic, Board
Related Items
Hopi Kachina Dancer by Cliff Bahnimptewa
By Cliff Bahnimptewa
Located in Soquel, CA
Detailed and vibrant depiction of a kachina dancer by Cliff Bahnimptewa (Native American, 1937-1984). Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Pres...
Category
1970s Folk Art Dan May Paintings
Materials
Tempera, Postcard
NUDE with RED GLASS 3 round canvases 20 in each
By Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Nude with Red Glass", acrylic on canvas, 3x20in
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Marché (Acrylic Painting)
Located in London, GB
Titre : Marché
Dimension : 180/110cm
Technique : Nattage sur toile
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
The first meeting Mohammad Ariyaei Contemporary Iranian painting Iranian art
By Mohammad Ariyaei
Located in Paris, FR
Full title : The first meeting of the Prince and his lover in the forest
Acrylic paint on paper
Hand-signed lower right by the artist
THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS OF MOHAMMAD ARIYAEI...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Yellow 2 (Acrylic Painting)
Located in London, GB
Paul Kupelian’s Yellow 2 (2024) is a vibrant acrylic on canvas measuring 170 x 110 cm, exemplifying his distinctive figurative and naïve style. Born in Beirut in 1975, Kupelian is a ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Au Village (Acrylic Painting)
Located in London, GB
Franck Asso
Au Village, 2022
Acrylic and weaving on canvas
60 x 60 cm
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Anglerfish
Located in Brooklyn, NY
TWELVE CHAIRS GALLERY
“Anglerfish” (2024) by Zura is a captivating acrylic on canvas that delves into the enigmatic allure of deep-sea life. Known for intertwining human and animal f...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Iranian servants and their fantasy world Mohammad Ariyaei Contemporary art women
By Mohammad Ariyaei
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic painting on canvas
Hand-signed lower left by the artist
Unique work
THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS OF MOHAMMAD ARIYAEI
" Gentleness and oriental wisdom follow the supercharged bubbling to which we were accustomed from the previous deliberately art brut exhibition by Mohammad ARIYAEI. The Iranian painter's imagination moves serenely from the wildest frenzy to the meditative calm of great, fabulous stories. The artist then took pleasure in pouring the volcanic torrent of his barbaric figures onto the delicate latticework with which he is accustomed to lining his backgrounds with the patience of an illuminating monk. Already sweetness and paroxysm coexisted. Now gentleness wins. The trained imagination of the painter, yet spontaneously bubbling, by instinct as much as by erudition, has no difficulty in reconnecting with the abundant oriental tradition of the thousand and one nights, which, like a long underground river, resurfaces at the light of his painting. Spring renewal of traditions still alive. Systematic filling of space, a sort of oriental version of the Riches Heures...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
H 70.87 in W 63 in D 1.97 in
The Wrestler_America Martin_Acrylic on Paper_Figurative/Portrait/Sports
By America Martin
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
America Martin
"The Wrestler"
Acrylic on Paper Paper
78" x 38" Unframed
Exploring the identity of both her namesake and country, LA-based America Martin draws inspiration from her C...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper, Acrylic
Waiting for the Flock" by Nathan Durfee, Acrylic on Vintage Postcard
By Nathan Durfee
Located in Denver, CO
Nathan Durfee's (USA) "Waiting for the Flock" is an original, mixed media painting with acrylic and vintage postcard that depicts a snow covered landscape with a bird in a ball cap ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Dan May Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Postcard
"A Generous Offering" by Nathan Durfee, Original Acrylic on Vintage Postcard
By Nathan Durfee
Located in Denver, CO
Nathan Durfee's (USA) "A Generous Offering" is an original, mixed media painting with acrylic and vintage postcard that depicts a snow scene with a woman, a dog with a blue scarf an...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Dan May Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Postcard
Alpaca
Located in Brooklyn, NY
TWELVE CHAIRS GALLERY
“Alpaca” (2024) by Zura is a striking acrylic on canvas measuring 66 x 42 inches (168 x 107 cm). Continuing his exploration of the interplay between human and a...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Previously Available Items
Devil's Play
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Devil's Play"
*Issued unsigned
Circa: 2010
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on heavy wove paper
Sheet size: 22.5" x ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper, Acrylic
Nude (Orange)
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Nude (Orange)"
*Hand Inscribed by May lower left
Circa: 2000
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on Plexiglass
Framing: Framed in a contempora...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Plexiglass, Paint, Acrylic, Monoprint
Nude (Green)
By Dan May
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Dan May (American, 1955-)
Title: "Nude (Green)"
*Hand Inscribed by May lower right
Circa: 2000
Medium: Original Acrylic Painting on Plexiglass
Framing: Framed in a contempora...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Dan May Paintings
Materials
Plexiglass, Paint, Acrylic, Monoprint
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.