29-05-2025
Cape Breton painter posts art in pursuit of professional boost
Dan Gee, an artist from Glace Bay, N.S., is pictured holding one of his paintings. (Source: Facebook)
Dan Gee of Glace Bay, N.S., is following other artists into online spaces, hoping social media exposure will help him build a new career.
'I wish it was a full-time job. That's the dream, right?', the 44-year-old told CTV Atlantic on Wednesday.
Though no one is paying him for his work - yet - Gee said he has been painting his whole life. His work hangs proudly from the walls everywhere inside his home.
Originally from the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario, a few years ago Gee and his wife - along with their two teenaged children - moved to Cape Breton.
'We were tired of the big city,' Gee said. 'We wanted to slow down a bit.'
When they arrived in their new home on the island the artist's eye was struck by the area's natural beauty.
'Cape Breton is a beautiful place,' Gee said. 'I like to capture that as much as I can. The scenery here is like no other, so I like to get that on canvas.'
Gee has taken to social media in recent months to try to gain more exposure for his work and catch the eye of potential employers. He has a healthy following on Instagram but his platform of choice is TikTok.
Gee said if he were to land a job as an artist he would like to stay in Cape Breton so he could continue to capture the beauty that he says has taken his work to the next level.
'If they were (to hire me), they would get a guy who loves what he's doing and puts his heart into everything', Gee said.
Gee said he plans to keep 'living the dream' online - hoping his own dreams of being a professional artist one day come true.
Dan Gee art
A painting of an eagle by artist Dan Gee from Glace Bay, N.S., is pictured. (Source: Facebook)
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