About Dan Rich

Dan spent over 40 years as an entrepreneur in publishing, launching several publishing companies and turning around others. 

Early on, he found that publishing allowed him to utilize his creative skills in product development, packaging, branding and marketing. This creative strength set his companies apart from competition. They collected numerous national and regional awards for graphics, art, creative packaging, and advertising excellence.  Many of the books he published stayed perpetually on best sellers lists, including the NYT list for years.

Educationally, Dan started out at the Akron Art Institute then transferred to the University of Akron, receiving a Liberal Arts Degree with Fine Art Major in 1966. 

During college, Dan envisioned becoming a painting and drawing teacher at the college level but like many college grads, the military and the need to get established in a job afterwards set a different course. While he attempted to keep his desire to paint and draw alive, juggling the needs of a young family and his rapidly growing publishing responsibilities made art take a back seat.

In May of 2015 Dan retired from being a publisher and became a full time artist. He sees these first years as an artist as being a student again, spending most week days painting and exploring new mediums and styles. His current focus is to:

·      Explore his love for soft pastels and the rich pure colors they offer

·      Exploring his colorist’s heart, in traditional and non-traditional ways

·      Seeing how pastels influence his work in acrylics and oils

·      Exploring all subject matter, realistic and abstract, 

·      Starting small, plein air, studio work, and selective larger works