“I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH, in a neighborhood that was essentially a Polish ghetto.  My parents worked factory jobs and I was raised by my grandparents, who spoke no English.  I was an excellent student.  As a senior in high school, I took an art class to escape study hall.  That class let to my acceptance at Cleveland Institute of Art with only less than a year’s work involved.”- Dan Gorski 2016, Houston

Books influenced Dan’s life and art. From an early age, Dan read every day. By age 2-1/2, his mother was taking books from the library for him 3 times a week. Thus, he learned to read early on. His Polish grandfather, using his influence as the school janitor, worked a deal to get Dan into a Catholic kindergarten early and then grade school.

The first time Dan came to my house in Houston, he headed straight to a huge wall of books and pulled out "NY Painting and Sculpture 1940-1970". He patted it and said, "My Favorite Book".  Amazing, it was a favorite of mine, too.  Each of us had seen that NY exhibition at the Met back in 1970. The NY School had a large influence on Dan’s art as he struggled to move beyond AbEx.

Dan loved the Tanizaki essay, "In Praise of Shadows". He referred to it often. Influenced by this essay were 2 pieces which were destroyed by the flood; a wonderful fluorescent sculpture specifically designed for our long hallway and a leaning sculpture.