​Emerging Artist - Danny Ratcliff
​
Danny Ratcliff is an emerging artist on the international scene. Once a well kept secret of Northeastern Ohio, Mr. Ratcliff’s artwork is now being enjoyed by customers around the globe.

Ratcliff paints traditional/ classical realism with a romantic flair. He attempts to explore a full range of value with every project. He has studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the former Cooper School of Art, at Kent State University, and the University of Akron. Ratcliff prefers portraiture which he considers his forte. During his studies he learned that developing a beautiful painting is almost a prerequisite to painting a good portrait. However, Ratcliff’s works demonstrate that he has mastered many of the art mediums. In fact, he takes turns with oil, charcoal and pastels, and uses each to explore the genre it best suits, whether it is romantic realism or surrealism. Ratcliff’s Self-Portrait in Oil earned third place in the prestigious exhibit at the Akron Society of Artist's
Fifth Annual Grand Exhibition. His best-known work, Generations of Love, is a painting of a family reunion at a park that conveys the sustaining joy of kinship, not so much through captured gestures, but through delicate strokes of subdued yellows and greens. Ratcliff states, “I like doing it all. I am passionately attached to the idea of creating a work of art.”
Since the popularity of Generations of Love, he has gone on to paint other family scenes as well as murals in Akron and Cleveland. He has also been doing shows in Columbus, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Detroit, and has been declared Best of Show in many instances.
Mr. Ratcliff has a series of prints available of Reunion scenes, Religious topics, and Children. He also has interest in starting his own gallery and art school.
​
​
Artist Statement​
" I paint traditional/ classical realism with a romantic flair.
I attempt to explore a full range or value with every project. To ensure that the overall design is well established, I rapidly execute abstract concepts.
If my project is pastel or charcoal, I use gesture drawing to develop the entire composition before targeting any detail and then I smear the entire page with a rag or towel. If it's a charcoal drawing, I rework the drawing and pull out the highlights with a kneaded eraser to give it strength. If it's a pastel, I add rich color to give it brilliance. When starting an oil painting, I build the design as quickly as possible using nothing but abstract shapes, ensuring the entire canvas is covered in the first sitting. It may take several layers before the painting is complete.
Life plus imagination gives us endless resources for making beautiful and exciting works of art. Many of my favorite topics start with a family theme.
Almost any topic depicting people in a social, intimate arrangement will appeal to me. I enjoy painting still-life arrangements. My greatest passion, however, is creating portrait arrangements that will allow me to capture the soul, essence and personality of the subject I choose to portray."