With multiple layers of oil on canvas or panels, Daniel Ewerman strives to create paintings that inspire the viewer to reflect. He aims to achieve a sense of stillness and evocative atmosphere, often with dramatic lighting effects that seek to capture fleeting moments. The paintings are remarkably quiet and still, with subjects that appear mysterious, suggestive, or foreboding. The goal is to convey a sense of a specific time and place that can be recognized, sometimes with subtle hints of human presence. 

Ewerman often aims to capture the fleeting moments in the borderland between two different states, these short and intense moments before one condition transitions into another, creating the most significant contrast. 

His interest in the subject often arises from the experience of a landscape or cityscape that strongly affected or captivated him through the different colors of light. He then tries to understand what touched him at that moment, which could involve the spectacular aspects of everyday life, such as the dramatic seconds just before the sun sets on a cold winter day when the colors of the sky shine brightest before fading away.

Ewerman's painted snapshots are both emotional and thought-provoking, featuring dramatic, shadowy depictions with areas of deep darkness and brightly illuminated environments with vivid color renditions. Exploring the framework of realistic painting, Ewerman seeks to enhance the depictions of reality to be maximally mood-infused and evocative, similar to how a director builds and conveys a film scene. 

Moreover, Ewerman's visual world has unclear narratives, hinting to the viewer that something is happening inside or just beyond the picture frame, raising questions about what lies in seemingly harmless and everyday environments that are imbued with the feeling that something lurks beneath the surface without providing definitive answers about what or how the viewer should relate to it.

Whether Ewerman portrays scenes from the city or the countryside, they typically depict deserted environments, focusing on conveying the individual magic and silence of the place. However, there are unmistakable traces of human presence and activity in the paintings, and one can imagine people standing just outside the painting's focal point, perhaps unintentionally left out of the image.

Daniel Ewerman (b.1972) lives and works in Stockholm. He has studied at Nyckelviksskolan and holds an MFA from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. Ewerman is also a former board member at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design and ArkDes – Sweden’s National Centre for Architecture and Design.