With a command of techniques rivaled only by his diverse interests, Dan Chudzinski's quest to improve his artistic skillset has led to a host of unusual adventures. Throughout various chapters of his life, he has worked as a zoo taxidermist, apprenticed under master marble carvers in the mountains of northern Itlay, made functional artillery pieces for film and television, and created totem poles with Tlingit master carvers in Alaska.
Born and raised in Fremont, OH, Dan received a B.F.A. in Sculpture and and a B.A. in History from Miami University. He received an M.F.A. in Three Dimensional Studies from Bowling Green State University. In 2015, Dan was named Curator of the Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books (University of Findlay), which houses the world's first and largest collection of original illustrations from picture books. The Museum serves as host to the annual Enchanted Brush Exhibition, a free, annual event that Dan founded and curates to showcase the works of his friends in the Imaginative Realism genre.
Dan's most recent projects include life-size creature designs for the exhibition Ohio:An Unnatural History, hosted by the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Museum, a hyper-realistic sasquatch sculpture for Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration (Norman Rockwell Museum), and continued work as a consultant and designer for several forthcoming books, exhibitions, and films.
His artistic adventures can be followed at "Dan Chudzinski Studio" on Instagram.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.