Artist Bio (informal)

Danielle Daniel has always been creative, though after her husband’s life-altering accident in the Canadian Armed Forces, her creativity became a lifeline. She turned to art and writing to help process her profound grief. While making marks on the page was a means of survival at first, it later developed into a daily commitment, and eventually led to an incredible personal transformation—including ten published books and hundreds of painted stories—which continue to be written and created.

Since 2010, Daniel has devoted her life to her creative path. She’s now working on a new body of work, though she’s not quite ready to divulge it just yet (and several new picture books and novels are also in the works!)

Her artwork continues to evolve and similar to her writing, she simplifies concepts with an economy of detail and line, though colour is always at the heart of all her artwork.

She lives and paints on Mnidoo Mnis, Manitoulin Island among a large family of cedars, a husk of hares and a fifty-year-old Blanding’s turtle, who visits quite regularly.

Artist Statement

Danielle Daniel (b. 1974) is an artist and storyteller whose work delves into the exploration of childhood, particularly the transformative middle years. Through her paintings, she examines the enduring presence of the inner child and its connection to both the natural world and the world beyond. Her figurative works are deceptively simple and yet profoundly stirring. Using acrylic and oil on wooden gallery panels, she creates pieces that invite introspection and a deep sense of connection.

An award-winning Artist, Author, and Illustrator, Danielle Daniel is a 2024 Governor General's Awards Finalist for Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books. Her paintings have been acquired by public and private collections across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Daniel holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, as well as a B.Ed. Laurentian University and a BA in Arts at Ottawa University. A self-taught painter and the author-illustrator of ten acclaimed books across multiple genres, she combines her passion for storytelling and visual art to create works that resonate across diverse audiences.

While her artistic practice occasionally extends to landscapes and still life, her primary focus remains on representative portraiture, where she continues to explore themes of identity, emotion, and the enduring presence of the inner child.