Sometimes I just start. No plan, no sketch, no expectation. Just paint, a palette knife and my fingers. This woman emerged from layers of colour, scratch, slide, smudge. Her gaze? She looks straight at you. Open. Raw. As if she knows exactly what you are hiding. As if she finally sees herself.
I worked with thick, almost ferocious layers of acrylic paint. I let go of what had to be neat. With the palette knife, I cut through colour, let unexpected combinations emerge. Bright blue next to flaming red, soft pink against deep black. I built her eyes in layers: first dark, then light, then dark again. Each layer brought her closer. Each scratch gave her a piece of soul.
"She Knows It" is not neat. Not smooth. But she lives. She lives. She is intuitive, powerful and a touch uncomfortable. And maybe you recognise something of yourself in her. Maybe she doesn't look at you - but right through you.
As a little girl Daniëlle was already obsessed with crafts, pencils, markers and paint. Making things that did not yet exist. Fantasy and lots of colour led her to create special works, such as sheep in heels with their heads sticking out of the canvas. Colour and.. Read more…