characteristics. When using green and yellow paint, I saw two characters interacting. I thought this was normal for everyone until as a teenager. I mentioned my characters to my friends and they did not know what to make of it, so like every teenager that thinks they are different, I hid it. 

 

Later on I saw a documentary about synesthesia, then everything made sense. Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon where one sense automatically triggers an involuntary experience in a second sense. However, I kept this neurological trait to myself.

 

The secret came out years later when I noticed my own five-year-old daughter began to formally name her crayons. It was then I realized she shared my experience of colors with personalities! My wife had been skeptical of my synesthesia before but eventually realized the validity of our unique vision.

 

I am also a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, fascinated by unpredictability of nature, for example the strength of a tree and a seedling’s struggle for life. Setting quietly in a clearing on top of secluded hill, hearing a distant waterfall is healing for the soul. 

 

My watercolor journey began when my older daughter (an artist herself) gifted me my first set of watercolors, knowing how much I would love. Never working with watercolors before, but interested in new mediums, I was excited to try them out. Through watercolors, I finally found the perfect synergy of my love for the environment, my synesthia and creating. Seeing my joy, my wife created "Dan Withrow Studio," a dedicated space for my passion.

 

Ultimately, my watercolors draw inspiration from dual sources: the distinct geography of places I've called home, the Midwest prairies and the mountains of Pennsylvania, and my neurological trait, where every color possesses a human-like personality. This unique merging of place and perception is what defines my paintings.

 

To my wife, daughters and son: Thank you for your unending support and love. Your encouragement inspires me to share my unique vision with the world.