Danny has been a sculptor for 31 years, creating work for collectors all over the world. His sculptures can be found in the halls of presidents and dignitaries, including the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan and corporations, banks, universities and private collections. His 17-foot tall “Elk Monument” and 32-foot long “Elk and Bear Monument” are famous Jackson Hole, Wyoming landmarks.
Danny concentrates heavily in the wildlife theme and extensively researches each subject he sculpts. “It’s all about Beauty!” he says. “We all try to absorb a little beauty everyday. We look for it in a sunset, a song, music, a beautiful woman, art, a mountain stream etc.
Since God didn’t create any junk, we can find beauty everywhere, if we will look for it. My goal, my desire, my passion as an artist, is to bring out that beauty with clay or on canvas. I enjoy sculpting wildlife because our emotional connection with them is so pure. It doesn’t seem to get all tangled up with human ideologies. They are what they are. Every animal has a certain spirit about it, and a certain way he carries himself; a particular gait in his walk. And each animal leaves a pretty distinct footprint. My job is to somehow bring out some of that emotion for the viewer. When people view it, they don’t always feel the same emotion that I felt when creating the piece, but if it stirs some sort of emotion in them of peace, majesty, elegance, ruggedness, or some other emotion, at least I have brought something out of their soul and they have experienced a bit of life through art. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and when we are touched by real beauty, in whatever form, we will never be the same.”
Danny also enjoys sculpting authentic Native American subjects. He depicts these first Americans in fluid motion scenes that capture the danger, emotion, and excitement that they must have experienced.
He also enjoys themes of historic significance. For example, his authentic rendering of the Silver City stagecoach and six horses that ran between Winnemucca, Nevada and Silver City, Idaho back in the 1870’s. He loves to tell the true stories that inspire the sculptures.
Most all of Danny’s sculptures are limited editions. They usually are limited to under 50 pieces in the bronze editions, which makes them appealing to serious collectors.
Danny is a devoted family man and enjoys any opportunity to be with family, especially if it is camping, hiking, or exploring in the mountains of Idaho. Danny’s wife, Lynda, has been his cheerleader and business partner for all of the 45 years of their marriage. She is also his coach, bookkeeper and critic. They are a wonderful team together. They both share a great faith in God and love this wonderful country we call America. They are both heavily involved in gospel music. Lynda is an accomplished pianist and Danny plays the bass guitar.
Educational Highlights:
- 1965 – 1968 Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa Idaho; Studied – Art and Religion
Career Highlights:
- 1968 – 1976 Independent Business Owner
- 1976 – 1980 Owned and operated Dande Wood Manufacturing. Designed all the furniture designs
- 1980 – 1994 Danny D’s Furniture Store
- 1984 – Present: Sculpting, oil painting and foundry manufacturing of fine art piece
Noteable Collectors:
- President Ronald Reagan
- World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
- Northwest Chemical Corp., Oregon
- Wyoming Heritage Museum
- Central Illinois Light Company, IL
- Dr. Jensen Vossman, Germany
- Geotechnical Inc., CA
- Metals Research Corp., ID
- Briskin Manufacturing Co.
- Federal Bicentennial, Washington, D.C.
- Hygaard Find Food, Canada
- Micron Electronics Corp.
- Pro Cuts Inc., Texas
- American Bar Association
- Eddie Basha, AZ
- Idaho Centennial Commission
- Pacific Propane Service, CA
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, MT
- The Cartolith Group, FL
- Texas Independent Bankshares, Texas
- Jackson Hole Wyoming Visitor Center
- United States Army
- John Bertie
- Film Star Del Bertie
- Oklahoma University
- Northwest Nazarene University
- Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife-Idaho
- Stallion Energy, Houston, Texas
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming Airport
- Bill Jones of Hagerman, Idaho
Commissions:
- Commissioned by national retail marketing firm, Legends, Inc., to create 25 sculptures for national distribution.
- Commissioned by the Federal Bicentennial Commission of the United States Constitution to sculpt an eagle commemorating the 200th anniversay of the U. S. Constitution.
- Commissioned by the American Bar Association to do an eagle sculpture.
- Commissioned by the Idaho Centennial Commission to create four sculptures representing Idaho heritage.
- Commissioned by businessman, John Bertie, to create a six-foot long rendition of six horses and a stagecoach, sculpted exactly one-tenth to scale of the actual Silver City stage, entitled Run to Silver City. The sculpture depicts a significant segment of Idaho history.
- Commissioned by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to create three separate editions as a fund-raiser for their foundation.
- Commissioned to create a life size eagle in three metals-bronze, polished stainless steel and 24 carat gold.
- A larger than life-size monument bronze bull elk installed in front of the headquarters of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Missoula, Montana
- Commissioned by the Walker Center in Shady Cove, Oregon to create a nine-foot monumental sculpture of Christ and three lambs.
- Commissioned by Ron Boehm, Oregon businessman, to create two 1 1/4 life size mountain lions.
- Created the enlargements for six of the monumental buffalo that will be a part of the Dunbar project in South Dakota for Kevin Costner.
- Created enlargements for two 1 1/2 live size fighting elk planned for West Yellowstone.
- Commissioned by The National Elk Refuge, The Bridger- Teton National Forest, The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, The Teton National History Association, and The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, to create a 1 1/8th life size monument of a bull elk, cow elk and grizzly bear. They were installed in front of the Jackson Hole Visitor Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, June 2000.
- Commissioned to create a larger than life-size Pony Express horse and rider for Transbox Systems, California
- Larger than life-size grizzly bear for The Big Bear Campground, San Bernardino National Forest, California
- Monumental larger than life-size bronze eagle at the Oklahoma University business department
- Created an elk sculpture edition to be used in fund raising for the Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife, Idaho
- Commissioned to do a monument bronze elk for the new sculpture garden at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho
- Commissioned to create a special horse sculpture edition for Stallion Energy, Houston, Texas
- Larger than life-size Bald Eagle – China
- Commissioned to do a Life-Sized bronze Elk for the Jackson Hole, Wyoming Airport
- Commissioned to do a commemorative sculpture representing the sheep herding families of the Hagerman Valley, Idaho. The sculpture was commissioned by Bill Jones of Hagerman, Idaho. The monument consists of 8 sheep, a sheep Dog, and sheepherder leading his saddled horse. All bronze sculptures in this monument are slightly larger than life-size.
- Commissioned by Northwest Nazarene University to sculpt a 7 1/2 foot figure of Christ as a center piece for the 2015 campus renovation.