Dan and Martha Dorff with their grandchild and children.
BUILDING A FAMILY FOUNDATION DORFF FAMILY ROOTED IN FAITH AND THE ARTS BY M. D . P I TM AN
“When Dan and I got married, we had no idea that we were creating a future,” said Martha Dorff. “We just thought we were getting married.” As the Over-the-Rhine couple, formerly of Loveland, discovers life as a retired couple – Dan from a career as a graphic designer and Martha from Schickel Design, a company started by her father, they continue to hold tight to the things important to them: family, creativity and their Catholic faith.
I’ve always loved painting ever since I was a kid,” he said. “We went to museums in Philadelphia all the time. I was always amazed by the different ways of seeing things. It was kind of like an introduction of color, to me. Color and gesture, different ways – impressionists in particular – to present reality.” Like his art, Dan’s music is a mixture of what he was exposed
“We’re called as Christians to be the salt and light,” said Dan, a native of Philadelphia. “If we’re going to be salt and light, we have to be that in all we do, as much as possible.” Dan grew up as one of 12 children, and moved to Ohio as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. He worked in grounds maintenance at Grailville in Loveland, where Martha’s mother happened to be involved as a member of the Grail, a national female-operated Catholic lay organization. Dan’s mother was a member of the Grail in Philadelphia. Dan’s first love was music, but he eventually fell in love with art, and continues to create both today.
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Dan Dorff’s painting, “Holy Man of Humble Heart” was featured in the Angelico Project’s Mid Winter Light Exhibition.
