DESCRIPTION OF WORK

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“I work in two directions,” explains painter Dan Sheridan Gustin. “Half is directly from observations of landscapes; the other half is large, dream-like narratives.” The smaller pictorial landscapes are dotted with thick brushstrokes and look more abstract as the viewer gets closer to the canvas. “The larger works are much tougher and take up more of your space—and not just physically,” Gustin says of the 8-foot by 14-foot canvases. “They are more demanding.”

METHOD OF WORK

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Gustin’s two types of paintings are dictated by the two ways in which he lives. Each summer he teaches in Italy at The International School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture in Umbria, where he immerses himself in the landscape. While there, Gustin starts three or four outdoor paintings a day, working on one in morning light, another in the afternoon and another in the evening, documenting the different colors and changing the painting every hour as the light changes. His narrative work requires a different approach. “I work on those for six or eight years each, working on four or five at once.” The narratives are indoor works, completed in his studio in Chicago, where Gustin is an associate professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Going back and forth between the two helps me get unstuck,” he explains.

SUBJECT MATTER

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Painterly landscape artists are a dying breed, and Gustin is aware of how “old-school” he might seem, particularly among the new media–focused minds at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “A lot of schools don’t even deal with painting anymore,” he says. “And the way I teach—painting by observation—is considered old-fashioned. But by studying in Italy, which has the most paintable landscapes anywhere, I’ve tapped into a long tradition of painters.” He feels his narrative works feed on the vocabulary of these painters’ heritage. Gustin’s narratives deal with loss and abandonment. These themes surface in some of the landscapes as well, such as those depicting the shores of Lake Michigan, which are increasingly being replaced by concrete banks and bike paths. “I love that coast line and have this sense that it is all going to disappear.”

INFLUENCES

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A long line of painters, from those whose works hang in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to his past professors, has influenced Gustin, including George Inness, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, William Bailey and Bernard Chaet. He also believes that teaching beginning artists keeps his own work fresh. “If you are around a lot of young people, there is some part that keeps you thinking,” he says. “And you get to talk about what you love the most.”

AESTHETIC APPROACH

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“There is real sentiment in my work,” Gustin says. “I am trying to express, in some way, the beauty of the world. It is not political, not cartoony, not ironic. Therefore, it is not Chicago art. I feel much closer to East Coast and European painters than Chicago painters. I am interested in the craftsmanship of painting.” While many artists crave public exhibition space, Gustin appreciates knowing his works are also in private collections. “I like the fact that people live with them and get to see them at different times.”

BIGGEST BREAK

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Gustin considers his appointment at The International School of Painting as the event that changed his career. “It was about 12 years ago, and it was the first time I felt at home. It was the first time I was able to make landscapes that felt real to me,” he says. “I had never been to Italy before, and it changed my life. Painters in Italy have seen the light.”