Black and white photo of Dan La Ferlita training in the gym, wearing a skull and barbell t-shirt

About

Dan La Ferlita

Born in Connecticut and raised in Manila, Dan is an artist, author and web designer who goes looking for the beauty in dark things.

He paints gothic horror in acrylic, draws coloring books and field guides, casts resin skulls by hand, and builds websites for small businesses, backed by more than a decade in digital marketing and customer experience. All of it runs under one name: Upstream Lion.

The long way back to drawing

Dan was born in Connecticut, but most of his childhood happened half a world away. From age 2 to 13 he grew up in Manila, in the Philippines.

Back in the States he studied both sides of design: undergraduate degrees in architectural engineering and in graphic design, with minors in fine art and art history. He later added an MBA with a specialization in economics.

Since 2014 he has worked in digital marketing and customer experience (CX) for large brands, including Charter Communications, Subway and Sun Life. The job is figuring out what people actually need, where they get stuck, and what gets them to act. It's the same thinking he brings to every website he builds.

In 2021 he started a health journey that changed everything. He went on to lose 310 pounds and became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. Along the way he picked up coloring to quiet his mind, and it brought him straight back to drawing. His first book, Art Affirmations & Coloring, came out in May 2024, blending coloring, journaling and affirmations.

Then his love of horror took over. Monsters, mad scientists, demons and angels, American cryptids and urban legends now fill his books, shirts, canvases and resin.

“It’s about finding the good in the bad. Even in darkness, there’s something beautiful to discover.”

Dan La Ferlita, in Milford City Lifestyle

Today he is part of the Milford, Connecticut art scene, selling at the Milford Farmers Market and running large coloring projects that anyone, of any age, can join. He also vends at horror conventions and oddities expos across the Northeast, often painting live in the booth.

  1. ConnecticutBorn
  2. Manila, PhilippinesGrows up there from age 2 to 13
  3. UndergraduateDegrees in architectural engineering and graphic design; minors in fine art and art history
  4. MBASpecialization in economics
  5. 2014 onwardDigital marketing and CX for Charter Communications, Subway and Sun Life
  6. 2021A health journey begins; coloring brings him back to drawing
  7. 310 poundsLost, and certified as a NASM personal trainer
  8. May 2024First book, Art Affirmations & Coloring
  9. Upstream LionHorror books, paintings, resin and conventions
  10. Winter 2026Featured in Milford City Lifestyle
The artPaintings, drawings and resin, each with its process from sketch to finish. The websitesSites for small businesses, built by hand and set up to be found.

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