After years of practicing his craft, Houston artist Dan Dunn has perfected the science of theatrical, show stopping art. Dunn was inspired by artist Denny Dent, who was the pioneer of speed painting, a technique that would later become Dunn’s magnum opus. Dunn was born in Texas in 1957, and attended the Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He began his career as a caricaturist and painter, and primarily worked on watercolor and oil paintings. Occasionally, he would also dabble in life drawing and sculpture. Dunn started out as a caricaturist who would work at various events, drawing upwards of 12 people per hour with staggering speed. This became the foundation for a career in speed painting that would enrapture audiences across the world.
Dunn has displayed his ability to create magnificent works of art in a matter of minutes while on stage, yet getting to that point was not nearly as effortless. For years he struggled to find a way to support his family and get himself out of debt. In a whirlwind sequence of events, Dunn went from penniless to worldwide sensation in the span of a year with a single, life-changing idea: PaintJam. He rented a warehouse and started experimenting with large canvases, large paint brushes and an abundance of paint. After practicing for 9 months he had his first show in Atlantic City, and his sensational performance was an immediate hit among the audience. A video of his performance was posted on to YouTube by his daughter, racking up millions of views; PaintJam had made its groundbreaking debut performance, albeit with the whole world watching.
Witnessing Dunn on stage is an experience of its own. With the pageantry and spectacle of a magician, and the practiced éclat of a stage actor, Dunn prances to and fro, using his bold, deliberate brush strokes to create portraits and caricatures of familiar people and objects, including presidents, musicians and even superheroes. Among Dunn’s extensive repertoire are striking portraits of Bono, John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Dunn has also created pieces for brands and companies around the world, ahead of important events and product launches.
One of Dunn’s most widely acclaimed pieces features a woman in a hard hat, which Dunn famously modeled after one of his daughter’s pictures: “The hard hat was based on other paintings featuring men in hard hats that I had created for corporate clients, like Repsol, Honeywell, NAPE, SPEE and others. When the OTC asked me to perform at the annual conference, they suggested a woman in the oil field. I was delighted. As a proud father of three beautiful and amazing daughters, I believe it’s important to represent women across all industries. I modeled the subject after one of my daughters’ photos, which made it all the more meaningful to me – and the crowd loved it!”
Dunn’s work has been featured on the likes of the Super Bowl XLIV Pre Game Show, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Ellen Show and numerous others. PaintJam is his life’s work and legacy, and he is joined by his son Harvey who is a fellow speed painter in a clever father-son collaboration called Dunn and Son. Together, the two are currently working on using their painting videos to raise funds for food banks across America.
Image Credit: Oliviaweinstein, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
