Since the moment his infantile hands gained the dexterity to hold a pencil or paintbrush, Danny Schutt has always kept himself occupied with drawing and painting. A native of Palm Desert, CA, Danny has been a professional artist since 3rd grade, when he first began to receive commissions for his artistic talent as a friend brokered deals with classmates, selling his work for 25 cents apiece.

Things have changed very little since then, and Danny has continued to develop his artistic talent. During his time at Vanguard University, he retook the only art class offered until his teacher started making classes up for him to continue to grow in his ever-blossoming talent. It was then that he also began to design t-shirts and art pieces for friends.

Shortly after graduating, Danny began to feel sick. He developed headaches on a daily bases and started to loose his vision and ability to walk. It was then, after many intense hours in the ER, that the doctors gave him the news: he had developed Burkitts type lymphoma, and unless treated right away the condition would take his life. After a major back surgery to remove a large tumor that had grown around his spinal chord, Danny underwent eight months of very intense rounds of chemotherapy.

Having been paralyzed by the tumor that developed on his back, Danny had to begin working on relearning how to walk. During this time, when he wasn’t completely buckled over from chemotherapy, Danny continued to follow his passion, painting and drawing as often as possible. Over a year later, Danny has finished chemotherapy, gone into remission from cancer, and is continually working on getting his life (and legs) back to some kind of normalcy. His artwork reflects his strong, positive attitude and the trials he has been through. Although he grew up in the desert, the pastel/desert landscape art scene never much appealed to him. His inspiration is drawn more from urban settings and his travels abroad. Each piece he creates is more than just a pretty picture, it is something that makes a statement, gets people to think, just like Danny does.