Ask any artist and he will tell you: in leisure painting is peace; in profession it's pain. Either can be true as well; really it just depends on the mood of the day.

Born in 1973, and for every year since, Daniel Porter has had not only the desire but the God-given ability to create. A painter by the age of 9, Daniel was always compelled to put his world down on paper. Fascinated by color & movement, the young artist struggled to find himself through his illustrations, often distracted by the talented works of other great artists and the problem of just how to capture his own veiw of the world. Having been trained early in life, Daniel has been primarily a trial-by-fire, self-taught wanna-be.

By and by, after a rocky road through the academics of his schooling, Daniel ventured into a small business venture, marketing a line of his own limited edition prints to a hungry giftware market. Country folk art was the flavor of the day; but the subject was one that, while popular, wasn't destined to sit on the palate for long.

From 1993 to 2000, Daniel played to a mass market audience, selling some 100,000 framed prints worldwide. While this experience taught him much by way of business, it was clear to him it was simply a means to an end and a way to earn a living, all the while allowing him to work in the field of art -- and that's it.

Though he was in the art world, all the while he imagined the day when he could work exclusively in the field of sporting art. Always an outdoorsman, Daniel has spent much of his life afield. An upland hunter and consumate salmon angler by the age of 12, these are the experiences that now consume his works. It is this blend of art and authentic experience that brings you into some of the powerful scenes he now lays down in his subjects -- an afternoonon the back of an old farm for grouse, or an evening on the river in pursuit of some trout or salmon.  

Daniel's influences prompted change and subsequently have changed over the years. He attributes the journey to learning what embodies a true work of art, recognizing that it can vary somewhat from person to person. It is primarily motion that captivates his mind: "I just think that to be simple and clean in your approach to a painting and still be able to create a sense of movement and energy on paper is the height of creative power, moving away from static imagery that renders an otherwise fine work of art to be nothing more than an overworked photograph. This is paramount to my success with any piece."

Winslow Homer, A. Lassell Ripley, Chet Reneson and Ogden M. Pliessner are a few of the masters of the genre that Daniel aspires to emulate through his works. While time and ability will reveal whether or not he reaches the heights of these men as an artist, it likely won't bother the artist to wait and see. Always in the field, it is never hard for him to enjoy the pursuits of the sporting life and the task of documenting it all on paper. To this end it is his sincerest wish that all who view his works will see and understand his language of art a little more clearly.

All these things that he now turns out at his Fredericton studio, Daniel has shown his work worldwide and continues to do so through galleries and fine sporting art publications. He is a regular of many conservation auctions, always helping in the efforts of the various agencies Recently he was made a life member of the Miramichi Salmon Association, thanks to the sale of his works both in Canada and the United States.

When not in the studio, Daniel works the front part of his studio, where he deals in framing and conservation of fine art and related things, dealing with a fine group of private clients and museums. His handiwork in this field have earned him respect abroad as a conservator and an authority in this field.