The mountains of the American west have been a magnet for Dan Metz from his first remembrance. Since 1974, from the Gates of the Arctic to the Wrangells, the St. Elias and down the Rockies through Wyoming he has gone ‘in country’ to his subjects where they live. Only in this way can he hope to imbue his work with the intrinsic nature and spirit of the themes he loves to portray. The scope of his fieldwork is an anomaly these days and it is evident. He has been there. There is only one goal – to make better paintings. His quest is not for some cold, mathematical precision but for a greater truth – the living, breathing essence of the animal. Beginning as an illustrator in 1973, Dan knows how to “make a picture”. Fine draftsmanship and design, along with a thorough knowledge of his subjects, are the hallmarks of his work.