I have been working as a visual artist since the late 1970s, when I won the first prize for amateur oil painting at the Ohio State Fair, which is known as a focus on new up and coming artists. Soon afterward I broke my neck, however I have continued with my art and music.
We are heartbroken to say that Dan died on 16 February, 2024
Dan’s answer to my question, on his dying day, using the little strength that he had left in his hands, was to scrawl almost unintelligibly that he would like any future funds raised from his artwork to go towards combating modern slavery and human trafficking. This is Dan’s Fundraiser for the International Justice Mission.
International Justice Mission works with global partners and authorities to protect people from human trafficking in South Asia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, Ghana, across Europe and the UK. Children are being sexually abused by traffickers, often family members, who share images or videos of the exploitation online. Many traffickers livestream the abuse for sex offenders to direct, using the same social media platforms we use every day. IJM works to combat violence against women and children in Uganda, Kenya, Guatemala, Bolivia, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru.
Slavery still exists because traffickers can freely exploit people. The International Justice Mission provide training, mentoring and support to local law enforcement and community leaders to stop the cycle of violence and protect people from ever experiencing abuse.
Nancy Jimison is fundraising for International Justice Mission UK (justgiving.com)
My earliest memories of Dan are of him going down the stairs of the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. I was probably 4, still struggling with stairs myself, and Dan just popped a wheelie and hopped down them, staying balanced on his two back wheels. From my perspective as a child, he seemed invincible and incredibly cool.
Before he lost dexterity in his hands, Dan was constantly inventing, and both his Ohio and Florida homes were filled with clever contraptions to make his life better. I’ll never forget how he turned his swimming pool into an aquaponic garden and aquarium in Florida. Or how in Ohio, he sent me home with a grocery bag brimming full of jalapenos. Even after his spinal surgery in 1991, his spirit remained unbroken. He remained connected to technology, discussing the most innovative software and dreaming about the future. His intuition in investing in next-generation companies like Tesla was truly impressive, and he did all this right from his nursing home in Florida.His artwork is incredible. The vibrant colors contrasting with an almost hallucinatory perspective, gives the personal subject matter a great level of depth. His portraits are not the attempt to capture a rendition of a person, but an expression of how he saw that person, that moment. You can see in it an attention to detail, a love for how light hits the objects in his room, and a command of color pallette. In these later drawings, Dan retains that mastery, but funnels it into a more complex perspective of the world. He incorporates the shakiness of his hands into the style of his work, creating a frenetic rhythm to his linework that shifts in cadence based on mood of the work.
My favourite memory of Dan . . . I was probably 26, making him around 45. I was just entering the early adulthood phase of life that he was wrapping up. We spent four hours chatting mostly about life and various misadventures. Dan spoke directly about his struggles and how he could still hear God’s voice sometimes guiding him on what to do. Dan was profoundly authentic and honest with me, and it’s clear looking back on the time, that his openness was intentional, as a way to share with me not just his struggles but the philosophy on life that gave him such a great resiliency. It was such a gift, and it has had a lifelong impact upon me.
David Jimison, Nephew, February 19, 2024
Dan Jimison 