Dan Slapo was recognized by the Pastel Society of America as a Master Pastelist, having won three major prizes in their Annual Show in three different years, a difficult award to achieve. He was a Hall of Fame Honoree in 2013 by the PSA. Dan’s work was published in many magazines, including Pastel Journal where he won First Prize in

Portraiture beating 1400 other artists. Dan won over 200 prestigious awards in National and International competitions.

 

At age forty, with an MA in Art Education Dan began a 25 year career teaching in the New York City Public School System as an art teacher, predominantly as a high school art teacher. I taught these students the same as I teach today: the fundamentals of value, edge, plum line, and grids. He was a valued pastel teacher for many years in his

studio at his home in Westbury.

 

Dan learned pastel from Joe Lowe in Manhattan. Once a week Dan joined professional artists, like Murray Miller and Alex Fourier, at the Salmagundi Club where a model would pose for them. A life member of the Art Students’ League, Dan was drawn to portrait art because he just liked people. He found people more of a challenge than landscape painting--getting the right proportions of that particular face was an

exciting test for him.

 

A devoted member, Dan was President of the Art League of Nassau County from 1985 to 1987 and then spent twenty years as chair of Programs. The Art League honored Dan at our Holiday Dinner in 2013 for his dedication to art, to his students, and to the Art League of 

Nassau County.