Dana Mano-Flank

Artist Statement

Dana is an artist with a focus on nature, who incorporates the wabi-sabi aesthetic in her compositions. Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic which signifies acceptance of transience and imperfection. Dana seeks to create awareness, insight, and explore the fragile connections between nature and human society. In her mixed-media paintings, Dana integrates wabi-sabi to capture the small and simple beauty of nature. She incorporates natural materials found in our forests, quarries and oceans, as well as pigments, pastes and mediums; and recreates organic textures on her canvases. A conscious effort to honor the mundane and incidental is part of Dana’s artistic philosophy. In her work, she uses materials with direct relationship to the elements, and addresses issues of environmental stewardship. She wants the viewer to be drawn into the work and contemplate our fragile connection with nature as well as the moral weight of our influence on it.

Dana's art has appeared in numerous solo, invitational and juried exhibitions in museums, galleries and art centers throughout the United States.