At the age of 15, Dan broke his neck when messing around with friends and who dared him to dive into a rubber ring floating on the top of a pool.  This injury meant that Dan was severely paralyzed from his armpits down and since then has had to learn to reinvent himself and find ways to make his body work for him.  Dan has a really sad story to tell for shortly after the accident he was abused physically, emotionally and sexually in his paralyzed state. Years later he was to tell his story in his memoir The Blue Hole to help bring healing to his life and also counter any misunderstandings that others may have.

Dan began his artistic journey by experimenting with Zentangle and also as an emotional outlet.  He worked with archival ink and graphite pencil overcoming his paralyzed hands to create unusual and compelling designs.  His work has progressed as his love of Vermont and the outdoors has led him since to create country scenes, always with a sense of journey and a pathway taken at the heart of them.  He is now experimenting with acrylics and finding ways to master this technique.

Dan has been persuaded to exhibit his art, not only because of the artistic quality of his works but also to evidence that despite the severest of challenges on a range of levels it is possible to achieve emotional and artistic fulfillment.  Dan will not sell his originals but he wants to sell prints of his work to benefit the Compass Music and Arts Foundation. He hopes that the funds raised can be used to help others find release, purpose and achievement just as he has done.

See our past events page for information on 'The Path Less Traveled' Poetry Contest.