Daniel Sachs is almost entirely a self-taught artist. In 2015, Sachs submitted an original work for the first time to a national juried 2-D contest and was awarded 2nd place from a field of 30 finalists for a piece entitled Self-Portraits as Someone Elses, and in May 2017, he was honored with the “Best in Show” award for a work entitled I Have Hand, at an international juried exhibition.
The Freud of Imagination
The Freud of Imagination
Works on Paper
This is number two in a series of 10 "Conglomerates." I was thinking of my love for fantasy literature and fantasy art and that fantasy dwells in the imagination. Then I remembered that Sigmund Freud's first published work was called "On the Interpretation of Dreams," and since fantasy is a kind of wakeful dream, instead of Freud trying to unravel one of his patients' subconscious, I turned the tables and had Imagination imagining Freud. If you look down on the bottom left, you can just see Freud tentatively peering out at the audience wondering what is going on!
Cats
Cats
Works on Paper
This is the third image in the series of ten Conglomerates. They are images of the wild cats. I have issues with domestic cats since I was attacked by one named Dusty when I was a little kid. The big cats, however. They are maginificent and embody the "savage" in nature. I love that.
I Have Hand
I Have Hand
Works on Paper
This is number number 8 in my series of conglomerates. This was the first one not in pen and ink. It is graphite, watercolor and colored pencil and I use the Renaissande technique of "glazing" by layering many layers of colors, one on top of the other until I decide it has reached its final state. The subject was inspired by the grace and power of gesture in Great Britain and the United States, since I am most familiar with those cultures.
Self-Portraits as Someone Elses
Self-Portraits as Someone Elses
Works on Paper
This is number 7 in the series of ten Conglomerates. Just as hands are an important part of human expression, so is the face. In this composition, I was thinking of a line from the Jim Carrey movie, The Mask. A psychologist was a guest on a talk show on television that Jim Carrey's character was watching and he said that "everyone wears masks," meaning that no one ever shows all of themselves, not even to those closest to them. These are all my face, but they represent the many facets and layers that every human being harbors within from a serial killer (under the right conditions) to someone who is afraid of everything and being just plain whacky.
Eyes Have They
Eyes Have They
Works on Paper
This is number 9 in my series of 10 Conglomerates. Just as the face and the hands are very expressive tools of the human race, they say that the eyes are "the window of the soul." I have chosen the eyes of men and women from history who have "moved" me over the years for good or ill.