DAN PILLERS' ARTIST'S STATEMENT   Dan Pillers (Age 3), "Horses" (detail), Pencil and Crayon on Paper, 1961 I don't remember a time when art wasn't an important part of my being. My earliest childhood memories involve telling stories through art. I remember sitting at the corner table in my grandmother's kitchen drawing out images of a fishing trip, and a visit to a horse ranch and illustrating "Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle ...". My mother used to give me crafts supplies to occupy my time on those days I stayed home from school with the flu, measles, mumps and other childhood ailments. Making things helped me forget my aches and pains. Funny thing is, a few decades of self-discovery, a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and dozens of exhibitions later, I still draw from life's adventures, but now, I incorporate childhood myths and rhythms into metaphors for adult experiences. I combine image and artifact with text and a cynical wit in an effort to illustrate the human experience. Although many of my works address specific topics such as AIDS, Addiction, and Homophobia, I attempt to convey the more universal "core" emotions around what it takes to overcome fear and the feelings of being "less than" or "different from". About The Artist's View Dan Pillers' Resume