"Sundown" 12" x 9" Oil on Panel D.J. Cleland-Hura is a versatile young artist from the Northwest who paints landscapes, figurative works and landscapes featuring animals. In his works he combines highly realistic passages with areas where detail is minimized but the surface texture retains the viewer's interest. Through the use of soft, diffused lighting effects, Cleland-Hura creates an almost palpable sense of mood. The artist began his career as an animal painter, winning a number of important competitions while still in his early twenties. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1993, Cleland-Hura has supported himself as a fine artist, living first in Northern California and now in the Pacific Northwest.