Dan Slapo, A Teacher of Art and Life

"I painted with Vermeer!" Dan Slapo exclaims with a smile. Well, he's not quite that old, since the Dutch Baroque painter, Johannes Vermeer, was born in 1632. Slapo's as talented as Vermeer though. He's a master pastelist with the Pastel Society of America (PSA), which can be compared to a doctorate in the amount of study required and the quality of work.

Slapo is best known for his prize-winning portraits and still lifes in pastel and oils. His art is highly representational and showcases his knowledge of traditional methods, which he stresses in his classes.

Slapo taught art for 25 years in New York City, and has taught privately for 35.  Even with his advanced training, being with his students is best. He says, "I love to teach and that's what keeps me alive. I wake up in the morning and I'm excited about seeing my wonderful students. I'm happiest when I see great progress with their work."

Slapo teaches the fundamentals of art that can be applied to all mediums –pastels, oils and watercolors, which are values, proportions, hard and soft edges as well as composition.

Several Garden City residents have had Slapo for a teacher and find him to be a wealth of artistic knowledge. His Westbury home and studio is where they have studied. Current high school and adult students are from Garden City, as well as the surrounding Long Island area.

Garden City High School 2008 grad Pam Wegener says, "Dan Slapo has a knack for being able to constructively criticize my work while maintaining a friendly and positive atmosphere. His classes are always a joy to attend." Wegener is currently attending Brown University.

"With Dan, no one has to go to the big academies like the Art Students League in Manhattan. Dan's got it all right here!" says Erin Alvey, a 23-year-old resident of Garden City who graduated with a photography degree from Ithaca College.

Members of Slapo's Wednesday night class have won prizes in the Suburban Art League show and other local art clubs.

Nicole Adamonis, an adult student from Queens says, "Dan Slapo is a very generous teacher. I have learned more from him in the short time in his classes than I have in all of my years as a student at the High School of Art and Design."

Garden City resident and adult student Bev Wegener adds, "With quiet humor, and a twinkle in his eyes, he imparts words of wisdom about art and life in general."

Some of the artists Slapo has studied with are the nationally famous Daniel Greene, John Howard Sanden, David Leffel and Joe Hing Lowe.

Slapo's reputation is world-wide. He won first prize in the Pastel Journal's annual national competition in 2003 in the portrait category. He won second prize in the Artists Magazine national competition in 1997 in the portrait category. He was also a finalist in their annual national competition for four years.

His pastel paintings have been published in The Best of Pastels I and II by Rockport Publishers. All together he has won more than 150 awards in national and international competitions. Some of these competitions were held in the National Arts Club, Salmagundi Club, the Cork Gallery in Lincoln Center, all in Manhattan, as well as in the first museum devoted to pastels in Shaan Xi, China.  Currently, Slapo is showing his work in the International Pastel Show in Taiwan.

Slapo is a valued writer for Pastellogram, a publication by the Pastel Society of America, who writes about the fundamentals of pastels.

With all his accolades, awards and busy schedule, what makes Slapo most special is that he's a wonderful and caring teacher.

For more information about Slapo's private classes for beginners or small group classes with live models, call 516-997-2268.