Dana Enders is a full-time artist who relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, in 2020 from Atlanta.

She is an established plein air painter who regularly participates in art shows and plein air events. Dana is active in several local art organizations and is Coordinator of the Fort Myers Beach Art Association’s plein air painting group.

Over the past year and a half, Dana has transitioned from acrylics to soft pastels and has been loving this new medium! Dana’s paintings include landscapes and seascapes of Georgia and the Florida gulf coast. She paints subjects that are revealed or concealed in beautiful, dramatic lighting. She is also well known for her custom pet portraits.

Originally from Maryland, Dana enjoyed painting in high school. She received her BFA degree with a focus in graphic design from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 1996, Dana moved to Atlanta and started her career as a graphic designer. It was not until 2016 that she started painting. Her artist mentor was her dad, Duane Sabiston, a retired art teacher, and plein air artist. Dana fell in love with outdoor painting and quickly realized that she no longer wanted to be sitting at a computer designing. Later that year, Dana joined her first art organization and started participating in art shows and outdoor art festivals.

“My years as a graphic designer naturally influenced what has become my painting style. My paintings have a strong sense of design and composition, as well as a dynamic use of color and shape. I am an impressionist plein air painter. Painting on location allows all of my senses to play an active role in summarizing a scene’s light, color, and atmosphere. I choose subjects to paint that are either revealed or concealed in beautiful, dramatic lighting. Instead of replicating what I see, I often selectively omit details by combining interlocking shapes of light and dark colors, leaving the rest of the pieces to the viewer’s imagination.”

Dana Enders, paintingsbydanaenders.com

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