Daniel Glanz
Sculptor
Public Art Installations in 2009
City of Longmont, Longmont Humane Society Installation, September 2009
City of Loveland Installation, Mariana Butte Golf Course, May 2009
New Works from Africa Trip
Dan spent almost three weeks in Kenya in June 2009. It was an amazing trip to the Masai Mara and to Amboseli. In addition to the commissions he is working on, Dan is sculpting a number of pieces based on his recent trip to Africa.
Dan recently wrote an article for the Society of Animal Artists' Newsletter about his trip to Africa:
Few sights are as exhilarating to the wildlife artist as seeing a leopard in the African bush. The morning was cool, the sun was just appearing over the horizon, and our Maasai guide and our driver both whispered “leopard”. We strained to see what they were seeing when quite suddenly a male leopard walked out of the tall grass and crossed the track right in front of the truck. The backlit sun was just touching the grass tops and the back of the cat – it was perfect. Then as quickly as he had appeared, the big cat disappeared into the brush. Though just a momentary glimpse, it was an amazing sight and just one of the phenomenal daily sightings we experienced during out stay at Serian Camp in Kenya.
Located on the Mara River at the base of the Oloololo Escarpment and north of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Alex Walker’s Serian Camp offers spectacular game viewing both in the reserves and in the conservation area where the camp is located. Thanks to Alex and John Banovich some of the members of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA) took advantage of an extraordinary offer to visit Serian Camp and the Masai Mara at the end of June and early July.
Alex, the guides and all of the staff at Serian made every effort to accommodate their visitors’ game viewing wishes. From dawn until dusk game drives, extended game walks or camping in the bush with your guide, the experiences were incredible and the photo opportunities endless. Several of the artists who have been to Africa more than a half dozen times each said they had some of the best game viewing ever while visiting Serian Camp.
Day after day, the wildlife and landscapes were eye opening and it seemed as though everywhere you turned there were more eye-popping experiences, the birdlife from Martial Eagles to hornbills and Secretary Birds, to bee-eaters and ostriches. We saw lions on a daily basis, many on kills (a few of the artists were able to photograph lions making kills), leopards near camp as well as in the Reserve, and so many zebra, wildebeest, other antelope, and elephants that the photo choices seemed infinite.
On one particular day near the end of our stay we wanted to see if we could spot a Black Rhino since there are very few and they seem to be very illusive in the Mara. Our guide, Daniel Kisemei and driver, Onyango John, decided to take us to the Mara Triangle on the west side of the Mara River. Within an hour of entering the Mara Triangle, Daniel spotted a female Black Rhino and her offspring in the tall grass. It was certainly worth the long morning drive and we spent the rest of the day exploring the Triangle. We saw elephant herds (one herd crossing the Mara River and intimidating the crocs), lions resting in the midday shade, baboons, jackals, giraffes, Cape Buffalo, hyenas, waterbucks, reedbucks, zebra, Crowned Cranes, Fish Eagles, Ground Hornbills, Vervet Monkeys, hippos and more all in a single day.
Artists were also able to participate in the “Living with Lions Project”. By identifying lions through the patterns of their whisker spots (unique to every lion), researcher Sara Blackburn is able to track lion numbers in different prides and monitor their behaviors and interactions with each other and with the Maasai people who herd cattle within the same conservation area. Through their observations and photographs, artists are able to supply Sara with additional information about lion sightings and behavior. And, the lions are quite impressive. Seeing them every day is always a thrill.
Once you visit Africa, there is, it seems, an indescribable tug that draws you back. My wife and I certainly feel it more than any of the other wild places we’ve visited. More than anything, though, we miss the sounds at night. The constant conversation of the Hippos, the lions calling across the river, the leopard purring in the trees nearby, and the other sounds you can only speculate about in the morning at breakfast.
For more information about the phenominal Serian Camp follow the link: www.serian.net .
More information can be obtained about the "Living with Lions Project" by going to their website.
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Award Winner!
In September, "Percheron" won the "Best in Show 3-D Award" at the "Representing the West" Exhibition at the Sangre de Cristo Art Center!
Sculpture of the Rockies
Dan is one of the sculptors profiled in Sculpture of the Rockies - a beautiful new book published by "Southwest Art" magazine.
- Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA)
- Elected Member National Sculpture Society (NSS)
