He developed his skills with watercolor in his leisure time beginning in the 1930s and painted en plein air for 20 years before he began his studio art in the 1950s.
McDaniel's first print, "Fishing the Dry on the Upper Connecticut", was a limited edition made at Royal Smeets Offset Printers in Weert, Netherlands in 1973 for the members of The Anglers' Club of New York.
His print "Morning on Taylor Shore" was presented to Charles, Prince of Wales in 1978 at the International Atlantic Salmon Foundation Symposium, London, England.
Like artists of the Hudson River School, McDaniel painted streams, seascapes and landscapes as an outpouring of his passion for place and to promote conservation.
Yet, McDaniel was determined not to stage or sentimentalize his art, often choosing unconventional subjects such as "Bush Island Castaways" and "Memories of Blue Rocks".