Biography

Daniel W. Pinkham has been a principle force in the resurgence of plein air painting, leading by example that plein air painting is not only a career, but also a lifestyle.

Pinkham was born in Los Angeles on January 31, 1952. He showed both interest and ability in art as a young child and began studying art through private instruction at the age of nine. He later attended Art Center College of Design from 1972 to 1974, after which he received a scholarship to apprentice for five years with Russian-born artist and renowned teacher Sergei Bongart (1919-1985). He later opened his own art school, which he operated from 1980 to 1985.

To further his artistic training, in 1985, Pinkham traveled throughout Europe for several months, studying the masterworks in prominent museums. Upon returning from Europe, he then began traveling throughout the United States to focus plein air painting, which allowed him to be close to the sources of inspiration for his artwork. Based on his artistic philosophies, in 1982, he founded Plein Air Artists of California, a group of six artists dedicated to painting on location. He also became a founding member of the Plein Air Painters of America.

Pinkham is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, as well as a member of the Club’s Board of Directors. He has also taken on the responsibility of working with the Club’s Mentor Program Members – art students and professionals under the age of thirty.

Other memberships include Oil Painters of America as a Signature Member and the Portuguese Bend Artist Colony, which he and his wife, Vicki, founded in the “South Bay” of the Los Angeles area to preserve this open space and natural habitat. Pinkham was also selected by the National Park Service as the Artist in Residence at the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.