Personal Biography

Danny Von der Ahe is a native Southern Californian painter born in 1980. Danny's formal art training began at the Florence Academy of Art, where he trained for three years under Daniel Graves. Danny was selected to teach drawing at the academy while continuing to paint the figure and portrait. He focuses on the traditions of the 19th century French Academies, where students begin with a rigorous drawing curriculum to develop accurate observation skills and an understanding of proportion, gesture, and values.

Danny was also trained in the methods and mediums for archival oil painting and gained a strong understanding of the materials from grinding pigments and preparing the canvas from the raw linen. Danny is returned to his home town, San Juan Capistrano, where he continues to paint the landscape en plein air and the figure with the Southern California Artists Association all the while focusing on his passion, the portrait. He is influenced by the great masters Frans Hals and Carolus Duran.