Dan Addington
Biography
Dan Addington is an artist and gallery owner who grew up in the western US. He now lives and works in Chicago. Known for his work with wax and tar, he often lectures on the history and technique of encaustic painting. His work has been exhibited across the country, and is represented in numerous public and private collections. Addington has served as visiting artist, exhibition juror, and workshop instructor for art centers, museums, and colleges throughout the US. He is married to artist Steph Roberts Addington, and has a 11 year-old son and budding paleontologist named Aedric.
Artist Statement
Dan Addington’s paintings often include images derived from cultural monuments, romantic symbolism, and historical iconography. They often begin on deep box-like supports that stand out from the wall, asserting themselves in the viewer’s space and suggesting the physical weightiness associated with monuments and memorial sculpture. The processes of building, weathering, eroding and layering create histories that can be excavated by the viewer. The resulting paintings are meant to both recall and engage the physical body. Addington makes work that engages cultural memory, explores the nature of mortality, and addresses mankind’s desire to locate spiritual meaning.