Dave Syfert

    college dept. head (ret.)                 

Outdoor experiences-

    Outward Bound instructor

    Yellowstone Park Co. fishing guide

    Yellowstone Assn. Instit. volunteer

    Philmont Scout Ranch co-leader

I am a landscape artist.  I find extraordinary beauty and tranquility in the out-of-doors and - fortunately - this nation has preserved its most remarkable places as national parks.  When I was a child, my parents took us camping in many of the parks and, later, I worked portions of nine seasons in Yellowstone where the national park idea was born.  Now, I live near and frequently visit the Blue Ridge Parkway.

To me, art is personal: the eye is attracted to some composition or object, and the artist attempts to capture and convey an emotional reaction, sometimes intense.  I have seen many works which, though technically excellent, do not speak to me.

I began painting recently.  My wife Gerry somehow saw artistic potential in a retired educational administrator and urged me to try watercolor.  Her advice has influenced and improved most of my art.

Numerous workshops and Yellowstone Association Institute courses helped me grow as an artist.  Artists and friends have provided helpful criticism.  The best advice of all was “paint your ass off.”

My albums -