DANIEL M. SPILLER, JR. 

I was born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana. I have always been a daydreamer; and on trips to my grandmother's house in Thibodaux, I remember staring at the long rows of sugar cane seemingly move and follow the car, cane carts lining up at the mill in Jeanerette during grinding, the huge oaks and stately homes in Franklin, or the beautiful limes of new leaves in the cypress swamps near Amelia. These are images that have stuck with me and have shaped my life.

There are few places quite like our state where the culture is so closely tied to the land. I think it is in the context of this cultural landscape where the real beauty of this place lies. It lies in the reeking scent of burning bagasse on a crisp December day, in the inconvenience of a slow moving tractor slewing mud on the road, and in the rusting and rotting remains of old mills, barns, and shacks. These are the things easily taken for granted, but when they are gone, will be sorely missed. I feel compelled to document this, what I view as a changing landscape. There are far fewer sugar mills than twenty years ago, countless acres of fields and trees are plowed under in the name of progress, and everyday we hear about our disappearing coast. I often like to paint scenes that can be viewed by daydreamers like me, from the passenger window of a car, on a deserted backroad in Louisiana.

Currently, I reside in Lafayette, Louisiana, with my family, where I work as an Associate Landscape Architect. If you have any questions concerning specific pieces, pricing, or custom commisions please email.

Press:

House and Home Magazine, Artist of the Month, June 2013 http://www.houseandhomemagazine.net/

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