Old Shanghai, China Painting

Born in and lives in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He depicts European, North American, New Zealand and Australian landscapes and seascapes in oils, watercolours and black ink sketches. He also paints portraits on commission. Dai is passionate about quality rather than quantity when it comes to producing fine art works. He believes in careful draftsmanship as the basis for his artworks. Artistic merit is the product of inspiration, dedication and time. In his 1897 book What is Art?, Leo Tolstoy said 'Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.' Dai couldn't agree more. Painting "en plein air" while briefly visiting a busy European tourist hotspot is impractical, so Dai happily relives the feelings experienced while he creates an artwork in his studio in Australia, guided by reference photographs he took while abroad. This is a virtual immersion in a carefully selected original experience, over an extended time, in comfort and without the distraction of crowds, weather, etcetera. And the bonus is being able to leisurely appreciate the scene in far more detail than during the original visit. It is to be hoped that Dai can successfully transmit these feelings to his viewers. Dai's artworks are in private collections in Australia, USA, Canada, China, England, France, Portugal and Spain.