Dan Good Art

05/13/2024

I owe my interest in painting in large part to my grandmother, Julie Zourides.
My Yaya enjoyed tinsel art and oil painting, and she was a member of the Lancaster County Art Association in my native Pennsylvania.
A number of her paintings received awards, among them an oil painting of an Amish boy rollerblading.
A few months ago, looking through family photo albums, I made a surprising discovery.
I found the photo of the rollerblading boy that inspired her painting, along with other images my grandmother captured of life in Lancaster County during the early 1990s.
In one of the photos was me and my brother standing in front of a field, bundled up from the cold. Evidently we’d tagged along when the photos were taken!
I might have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. I had no idea I’d been present for this moment!
I also found a different farm scene from the photoset that captured my eye, and I wound up painting a picture inspired by it. The photo shows a farmer working his field, with a barn and silo to the right and various properties in the background.
As I painted, it was special to consider how my grandmother continues to impact and inspire me, and it was special to be able to step back into my past.
I named the painting “Paradise,” which has both Lancaster County connotations and the meaning of an ideal or idyllic place.
Prints of the painting are available on my website; coffee cups and greeting cards are also available.
https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/paradise-print

04/27/2024

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04/03/2024

During a beach trip last year, the moonlight's reflection on the water was so strong and so beautiful, and I loved being able to capture that vision with my paintbrush.

https://www.dangoodart.com/gallery

03/27/2024

I recently participated in a Q&A for Bold Journey. It covers my watercolor painting, my book ghostwriting process, and the qualities of my ideal client. Check it out!

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dan Good. We

03/13/2024

New mugs and greeting cards featuring two of my latest watercolor paintings are now available for purchase.

The items show my paintings “Ducks,” which depicts two ducks swimming in the water, and “A Puff of Smoke,” which shows Times Square’s iconic Camel billboard during the mid-1900s.

To check out the new items and other gifts, head to my website.

And stay tuned for my latest artwork, updates and information!

https://www.dangoodart.com/store

03/01/2024

A favorite of my paintings shows the iconic Camel billboard in Times Square.
The painting, "A Puff of Smoke," was inspired by a 1954 photograph I found in a photo album from a traveler's cross-country trip.
The Camel billboard was in place from 1941 to 1966 at the Claridge Hotel on Broadway between 43rd and 44th Streets. It was the creation of famed ad man Douglas Leigh, who was responsible for transforming the Great White Way with his creative advertisements, and released a puff of smoke every four seconds.
The billboard was updated regularly to show different figures such as military members, businessmen and athletes enjoying their smoke.
I loved the energy captured in the tourist's photograph -- the car in the foreground, people walking on the sidewalk, the adjacent block behind, smoke billowing from the sign. But I wanted to pull back to show the full sign, and not just the part that shows the businessman puffing away. So I compared the photo against other images showing the entire block-wide sign and made some necessary adjustments.
Settling on the right tones helped me as I painted. In my early watercolors, I relied on black for darkness, and black paint is too dark. Instead, I began using a blend of colors -- typically ultramarine and burnt sienna, a mix of blue and brown -- for my darkest values.
Painting the people on the sidewalk was the last thing I did, and I found it to be the hardest. But I kept it simple, and it's one of my favorite aspects of the painting. I think of my grandparents -- just married and full of lots of dreams -- when I think of the people on the sidewalk.
For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/a-puff-of-smoke-print

02/22/2024

I was taking photographs in the snow recently when I came across a group of ducks paddling in the water. They passed right underneath the bridge where I was standing.
As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to paint a picture of them.
I had fun with the painting and used Saran Wrap to add textures and layers to the water -- I laid down a layer of paint, and while still wet, placed crinkled Saran Wrap on top, then let it dry overnight. When I pulled up the Saran Wrap, it created all of these cool shades and shapes.
From there, I added details to the ducks and shading to the water, and brought together my painting of the ducks that swam past me.
For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/ducks-print

02/12/2024

👀 A preview of some of my latest paintings! Full reveals in the coming weeks. 👀

02/09/2024

Rogue River Ranch in southwestern Oregon represents a step into the past.

For thousands of years, the remote spot has provided ample opportunities for fishing, hunting and gathering.

It was the place where actress Ginger Rogers would go to escape from Hollywood. As Rogers wrote, "Days blend into each other here until they become just one long, sunny Sunday. The beauty of the countryside is at its peak. Oregon never looked lovelier."

I was pulled in by that sentiment when looking through photos in a mid-1950s photo album showing a Rogue River farm property. The dirt road and trees pulled me in. It was one of my earlier monochrome paintings, and I used some metallic paint to give the composition an extra sparkle.

For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/ranch-rogue-river-1950-print

02/08/2024

After it snowed at our home in New York in the past month, I had so much fun going out and taking wintry photos.

I spent hours checking out nearby walking trails, trying to get the perfect shot.

I went out at dusk and again at midday.

It was cold. It was unforgiving.

And I loved it.

One image that really stood out to me showed a snow-covered path leading to a tunnel underneath a bridge. There was something engaging about the light bouncing off of the snow and the trees beside the path.

But when it came time to paint, I found myself needing to pick up some quick insight from YouTube. Painting snow, as it turns out, isn’t as easy as blocking off areas of white on the paper.

The key for painting snow is to present the concept of white, not white itself. Just as darkness in watercolors isn’t represented by black, the concept of light isn’t necessarily white.

I focused on adding subtle shades of yellow and blue, mirroring the sky, and using touch-ups of white where it popped.

I enjoyed viewing a path I’d walked on dozens of times in a new light, and to paint based on where the painting took me -- to work beyond what I saw in the camera lens. I turned a night scene into a mid-day one. I also flicked the brush near the bottom of the paper for a splattering effect.

For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/snowy-path-print

02/02/2024

I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which features a large Amish population. Covered bridges are scattered throughout the region, and seeing one always gives me a sense of tradition and home.

As the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer Journal wrote in 1954, the covered bridges are "one of the last remaining vestiges of the horse and buggy era." Thankfully, dozens of the well-constructed, long-lasting bridges are still in use.

Those sentiments inspired me for this painting, which I titled "The Way Home."

For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/covered-bridge-print

01/26/2024

The New Jersey shore owns a piece of my heart. I vacationed there as a kid then spent some of my best years living and working there -- my wife and I even got married on the Ocean City beach. The beach is among my favorite places, a place where you can let all of your troubles wash away.
A series of photos I captured during a beach trip serve as references for this painting.
For more information: https://www.dangoodart.com/product-page/rock-jetty-ocean-city-print