Daniel Diefenbach, a New Windsor artist, began creating art when he was a child. His father was a commercial artist who had an art gallery and a studio in Niagara Falls, New York.
His father also restored paintings including a huge 150-year-old painting that hangs in the library in Niagara Falls. His father attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and taught art as well.
Diefenbach’s father taught him to paint landscapes and modern art when he was 10 years old. He took art classes in high school and wanted to go to college to study commercial art like his father, but his plans changed.
At first, Diefenbach worked in a restaurant. The chef liked him and made him a line cook but he did not follow that path either.
When Diefenbach met his fiancée, he had already signed up to go to boot camp for the National Guard. He won the high basic rifleman’s award for his company. His skills helped him get a U.S. Secret Service job in Washington, D.C. Diefenbach was a firearms instructor for nearly 11 years and then was assigned to the White House.
After boot camp, he got married and had three boys and a girl.
When he was at the White House, a woman saw one of his sketches and was so impressed that she asked him for his contact information.
As a result, the chief calligrapher of the White House called him. The office does the artwork for the White House. Diefenbach had to compete against an artist who worked for Disney Studios to do the artwork for the cover of The White House Christmas Tour booklet. Diefenbach was chosen to do the cover, the centerfold and little vignettes of various Christmas scenes that were scattered throughout the booklet.
“When I was in the Secret Service, people asked me to do artwork for them all the time,” Diefenbach said.
Then 9/11 happened and Diefenbach felt a need for a change, so he joined the Federal Air Marshal Service. The job took him all over the world but kept him from his artwork.
He retired in 2017 and started creating art again. Diefenbach did paintings and gave them as gifts to friends. He joined the Carroll County Arts Council and participated in the members’ show. He did a large 3-foot by 3-foot acrylic painting titled “Vibrant Explosion.”
Now he has an exhibit titled “Kaleidoscope” at Offtrack Art at 11 Liberty St. in Westminster through Feb. 28.
“I like to paint because it is cathartic. It gets me to relax and to express myself especially when I do modern art. I would love to do local landscapes of local barns and churches. I would also like to do modern art. I am looking for shows and galleries in which to exhibit,” Diefenbach said.
Lyndi McNulty is the owner of Gizmo’s Art in Westminster. Her column, An Eye for Art, appears regularly in Life & Times.
