Dan M. Allison's modern primitive style 'High Wire Desire' 1978 signed artist's proof three-color aquatint etching on float mounted German copperplate paper in a black metal frame. Sheet: 27"W x 22"H Frame: 33.75"W x 1"D x 27"H Dan Mitchell Allison was born in Houston, Texas in 1953 where he continues to live and work, remaining an integral part of the lively Houston art scene while garnering attention throughout the United States and overseas. Allison's prints are included in major museum and private collections throughout the world. He has gained renown for his innovative painting with the surface subtleties of printmaking and has established an international reputation for printmaking that places him in league with some of the most important late 20th century artists to have worked in the print medium. Allison first made his mark on the art world in the late 1970's with his instantly recognizable aquatint etchings, created through a revolutionary, one-plate, three-color printmaking process the artist pioneered and refined while attending Sam Houston University in Huntsville, Texas. Achieving worldwide critical acclaim for his printmaking, Allison was the recipient of the prestigious 1987 Grand Prix award for the 17th Biennial of Graphic Art sponsored by the Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Allison's early, largely autobiographical etchings were notable for their cartoon-like style and exuberant, luminous hues, demonstrating a depth, intensity and clarity of color never before accomplished using traditional aquatint processes. Many of these works displayed an unabashed romanticism, sardonically grappling with the artist's often tumultuous interpersonal relationships with wry humor.