seeing the light - DeMontfort Fine Art

DAN
seeing the light
dan tejo in the spotlight
Dan’s dramatic figurative work has an extraordinary impact on the viewer, par tly due to the
power and immediacy of the image, and par tly to the sheer scale of each composition. He paints
in oil on canvas for the richness of the texture, and the ability to blend shapes and colours. He
also finds that oils are the best way to create the kind of layering effect which gives a deep and
sumptuous finish and adds a genuine sense of theatre.
Dan has exhibited his work in many prestigious Mayfair galleries and all over the world. He
regularly fulfils portrait commissions and has a dedicated coterie of private collectors.
www.whitewallgalleries.com
dan tejo the power of light
Dan Tejo has always been an artist who enjoys a challenge. His aim is to capture the play of light
on different surfaces and for him the subject of the work is often of secondary impor tance. Like
Caravaggio and Rembrandt, two ar tists whose work he has admired from childhood, he is more
interested in painting the light itself. He is fascinated by colour and often finds himself staring
intently at everyday objects or familiar faces, trying to work out how he would capture that
precise skin tone or texture on canvas.
divinity iii
Original Oil, Size 28” x 36”
silk and satin i Original Oil, Size 48” x 36”
divinity i
Original Oil, Size 36” x 48”
silk and satin ii Original Oil, Size 38” x 26”
“Through my meditation experiences I discovered the incredible clarity and stillness which comes
from being perfectly in the present moment. The world appears so much brighter and sharper in this
state and to a cer tain extent this affects the way I paint. I want to capture the wonderful and rich detail
in every surface - things we normally glance at in every day life and take for granted.”
study for silk and satin ii Original charcoal, Size 30” x 20”
study for divinity ii
Original Charcoal, Size 20” x 30”
study for silk and satin i Original Charcoal, Size 30” x 20”
dan tejo illumination
Dan’s personal story is a fascinating one. After completing an Ar t Foundation course and gaining a
place at Falmouth School of Art, he took an eleventh hour decision to defer and go travelling, and set
off on what was to become a huge voyage of self-discovery. When visiting a monastery in Western
Australia, he was deeply impressed by the lives of the Buddhist monks there. Dan returned to the
UK, and after being ordained as a Theravadan Buddhist Monk, he under took to live an austere and
disciplined life in a forest monastery.
Although at times this was peaceful, he describes the struggle of “confronting yourself all day every
day, which can be an incredibly uncomfor table thing to do. The Buddha often exhor ted his monks to
be like warriors, but until you live the life of a monk it is hard to understand just how accurate that
is.” Eventually, Dan found himself a more contented man who had learned to make mediation and
contemplation central to his daily life. Having resigned from the order and resumed painting, he set
up home in Southern Spain before moving to Nor th London where he now has his studio.
DAN
Whitewall Galleries Nationwide
www.whitewallgalleries.com