Dani Abbott Fine Art
Paintings that feel like remembering
Story-driven paintings and sculptural surfaces, composed for the rooms they live in.
I’m Dani Abbott, an Arizona-based artist working in a language I call Metaphorical Realism.
My work begins with something recognizable: an animal, a figure, a landscape, a flower, a memory, a fragment of the natural world. From there, the image becomes more than its subject. It becomes a vessel for emotion, symbolism, memory, and recognition.
Metaphorical Realism gives me room to move between styles while staying rooted in the same intention. Some pieces lean figurative. Some are abstract. Some are sculptural, textured, or built through mixed media. The visual language may shift, but the purpose remains the same: to create work that feels both grounded in the real world and charged with something beneath the surface.
Collectors are drawn to my work because it holds a feeling they recognize before they can fully explain it. A place becomes a state of mind. An animal becomes a mirror. A texture becomes memory. A painting becomes something they can live with for years and continue discovering. When a piece goes home, the story goes with it.
From the Studio
FAQ's and Commonly Asked Questions
What is Metaphorical Realism?
It's the way I describe my style. Every piece starts with something real, a place, a person, a moment, and builds something symbolic on top of it. The realism draws you in. The metaphor is where the painting starts to feel personal. More on what Metaphorical Realism actually means.
How do I buy a painting?
I work directly with collectors. Browse the available work, and when something speaks to you, use the contact form on the painting's page. I'll tell you everything about the piece. No pressure, no sales pitch. The right painting finds the right person. New to this? Here is how to buy art directly from an artist.
How do I know a painting was actually made by hand?
Somebody once asked me what software I made a painting in. It is a stick with hair on it. You can usually tell an original from a print or a generated image in about a minute once you know what to look at: the surface at an angle, the edges, the back. Here is the whole test.
What do your paintings cost?
Every piece is priced on what it actually is: its scale by the linear inch, its materials and where they came from, and the fact that only one exists. I keep prices off the site because I would rather tell you about the painting than hand you a number, so ask me about anything that speaks to you. How original paintings are priced.
Will it look different in person than it does online?
Yes, and almost always in your favor. Scale, surface and light are the three things a screen takes away from a painting. It is worth knowing what changes before the work arrives, and how to buy well from a photograph anyway.
Do you accept commissions?
I do, and they're some of my favorite work. A commission means you're trusting me with something personal. A person, a place, an animal, a memory. I'd love to hear what matters to you. Learn more about custom artwork, or read how long an original painting actually takes.
Can I hang a painting in a sunny room?
Yes, and you do not have to give up the room you love or cover your windows to do it. The sun will fade any painting over enough years, but the things that actually protect a piece are simple, and none of them involve hiding it in a dark hallway.
What happens to a painting when it is passed down?
Every painting leaves here with a signed certificate of authenticity and a provenance record, and I keep a file for that piece in the studio archive. So years from now, whoever it belongs to can find out exactly what it is, when it was made, and who cared for it before them. I have written about both ends of it: what to do with the art in your parents' house, and giving art to your children before you're gone.
Do you ship artwork?
Professionally packed and insured, anywhere in the US and internationally. Every painting ships with a signed certificate of authenticity. When it arrives, here is how to hang a large painting.
Can I hang a painting in a bathroom?
More often than people think, yes. It comes down to how much steam the room really gets and how it is ventilated, and there are a couple of things I would want to know before I said go ahead.
What is the Collector's Circle?
My private newsletter for collectors who want the real conversation. New paintings before they go public, the stories behind the work, and access to The Reserve, where my closest collectors get first look at everything. Join Now