Rick Daskam of Southbury was the featured artist last week when The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) hosted him for an artist demonstration ahead of the opening reception for “Color In Winter.”

The annual show and sale of works by SCAN members had its soft opening the previous week. It will remain on view in the main corridor of Newtown Municipal Center through the end of February.

Daskam discussed and demonstrated his plein air approach to painting to a large audience of SCAN members, fellow artists, and other interested members of the public, all within the municipal center’s Council Chamber January 10.

Attendees were encouraged to ask questions. They were also invited to look through any of the 14 sketchbooks Daskam had with him, which encouraged further questions and discussion. Daskam’s “sketches” are done with oil paints, his medium of choice.

Daskam graduated from Paier College of Art in 1982. He began entering his oil paintings in museum shows and juried art exhibitions in 2004. His area of focus is plein-air painting.

He has won numerous awards and recognitions from organizations such as American Artists Professional League, Hudson Valley Art Association, Lyme Art Association, Butler Museum of American Art, and The Salmagundi Club in New York City.

Since 2002, he has visited Monhegan Island in the Gulf of Maine every year and is known for his “painting from sunup to sundown” approach. He was recognized as the Monhegan Island Artist of the Year in 2019.

He is currently serving as the co-president of Hudson Valley Art Association.

“Color in Winter Show & Sale” can be viewed weekdays, generally 8 am-4:30 pm, and evenings when Newtown Municipal Center is open for Town board and commission meetings. For additional information contact Show Chair Nancy Cronin (860-866-7863) or visit scanart.org.