In Memory of Daniel Pollera

It is with great sadness that we share the recent news that talented Sorelle artist and friend, Daniel Pollera, passed away last Friday, March 4, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two adult children. 

Dan has been represented by Sorelle since 2016, and since then has sold numerous, stunning original paintings to collectors and art lovers nationally and internationally. He was an incredibly talented artist, and not only a partner of Sorelle's, but a dear friend. From everyone at Sorelle, we wish Dan's family our condolences during this time. 

Dan was born in 1953 in the coastal town of Freeport, New York. His interest in art began at a very young age, gravitating toward drawing and painting the surrounding coastline of Long Island. After a short study at SUNY Farmingdale in Commercial Art, he left to enter the family business.

For almost 15 years, Daniel took a sabbatical from painting, but this didn’t affect his love for the sea. He obtained a Captain’s License in 1977 from the United States Coast Guard and took passengers for hire on the open ocean. Through this experience and visual knowledge he was drawn to begin painting again. Although Daniel is primarily self-taught, he worked with Frances Norris Streit, a portrait and mural artist, assisting her on a 14’ x 30’ historical mural for the Roslyn Savings Bank. He also studied with Everett Molinari, a well-respected President of the National Mural Society. Museum collections include Long Island Museum, Parrish Art Museum, and Guild Hall Museum.

For the last several years, Daniel split his time between his home in East Quogue, Long Island, NY and Baldwin Harbor, Long Island, NY. These two places offered him inspiration which has been the catalyst for his work. “I look for a dramatic setting, filled with light to draw awareness to the image.” The light in his coastal scenes is most notable; people often say they wish they were there.

"We are only passing through this lifetime of ours," Dan said in reference to his work. "This is a revolving window of constant change and taking in the beauty from a visual perspective is fascinating and interesting; that is what fuels my passion. Living within close proximity to the salt marshes and shoreline has enabled me to capture a moment in time. I feel a deep connection with my subject and it constantly inspires me. I hope that I convey a feeling through my paintings that will be shared for generations and reflect our love for the local waters as they are today."

"I am so sorry to have lost a wonderful member of the Sorelle family," says Sorelle owner, Sandy Pelletier. "It does feel like a light has gone out, but Dan always had a way of using light in his paintings to convey a sense of hopefulness, and gratitude for the most meaningful moments life has to offer. Dan lives on in his family, in our memory, and in the remarkable body of work he left behind. We will miss him, but we thank him for the time he spent with us."

To commemorate Daniel, a funeral mass will be held tomorrow, Wednesday March 9, 2022 at 9:45 AM at St. Christopher RC Church, Baldwin. An interment will follow in Greenfield Cemetery. To learn more and to send flowers to his family, visit the Cecere Family Funerals page here. 

To see Dan's artwork you can visit his collection here, or learn more about the 2021 exhibition at Sorelle where Dan's original paintings were showcased. 

You can also learn more about Dan on our blog, with our Inside the Studio interview as well as his feature in Treasures of New York for his Long Island Bay House paintings.