THE ARTIST

Danielle Jacques

I am a Shoreditch, London based Artist and Photographer, creating unique artworks and specially commissioned pieces.

My background is Maths, Philosophy, Graphics and German & Italian Languages at Bristol University, Photography and Spanish at City Lit, London, Art at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design, University of London and Art, Film & German at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (interestingly this is the university attended by Albert Einstein, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels). These influences filter down into my work in the creation of complex designs and meticulous hand painted detail. 

Highly saturated with bold hyper-real shades, my palette aims to assault the senses for maximum impact. Earlier works stayed faithful to tonal ranges projecting tranquillity, other works flourish in the clashing combinations of colour ranges to provoke confusion and mild discomfort to the eye and hence the effect of the piece and more recent work has addressed more neutral tonal ranges.

My work combines photography, graphic design and mixed media painting predominantly exploring landscapes and objects of popular culture.  Photographs act as a starting point.  A youth spent in London, the vibrant arts and culture, club and music scenes, are strong influences in my work, this urban inspiration converges with my love of the perfection I see in geometric patterns of nature.

I am interested in the way technological advances in visual media can be used to enhance and develop the traditional medium of painting.  My photography provides source images that I digitally collage and manipulate to form designs for final pieces which vary from abstract impressionism to figurative works.

Process is important to me and realizing a digitally designed work into a mixed media painting allows me to manipulate shape, colour and texture. I take an image that has been restrained by the rules of computer logic and breathe physicality and choice into it through the layering of acrylics, oils, collage, photo-transfer and mark-making.

Inspired by  Contemporary pop art and graphic artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, she has a natural feel for colour, shape and texture. Danielle also admires the work of photographer Andreas Gursky, whose large scale photographic images show incredible beauty to pixel level detail. This echoes the perfectionism and detail in her own work.

Danielle designs all of her paintings meticulously, manipulating colour and shape until deemed ready for canvas. Her original artwork designs are all painted by hand, but she often aspires to achieve the appearance of a screen print. Danielle uses both acrylics and oils or a mixture of the two, together with other media to create added texture in her paintings. Having studied science, mathematics and computing, as well as Art, it filters down into her paintings, for example, in the creation of complex designs, manipulation of geometry and shape and use of materials.

Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere - an idea may grow over time or materialise spontaneously. In some work nature is a strong theme. Contemporary pieces have emerged from the vibrant London Club and Music scene. Other work included creating a visual representation of music, namely the Amen Break, a 6 second drum beat that has been instrumental in the development of Hip Hop and Drum and Bass. Studying Contemporary Art at Central St. Martins College of Art inspired other works including Crab Nebula and Eagle Nebula.

Danielle's Artworks

My artworks combine the use of photography, graphic design and mixed media painting. I am interested in the way technological advances in visual media over the last 20 years can be used to enhance and develop the traditional medium of painting.

Graphic design tools are used extensively to assist in designing and developing my artworks. Subject matter varies from landscapes, both urban and rural, to street art and objects of popular culture. Having spent the best part of my life in the London area, taking part in the vibrant arts and culture scene, this stands as a strong influence in my work. My urban culture inspirations often become mingled with a love of the geometric patterns evident in nature.

Source images are digitally collaged and manipulated to form designs for final pieces which vary from abstract impressionism to figurative works. Process is important to me, and realizing a digitally designed work into a mixed media painting offers exciting challenges. I take an image that has been restrained by the rules of logic and code and breathe physicality and choice into it through the layering of acrylics, oils, collage, photo-transfer and mark-making.

My work aims to transcend the viewer to the antipodes of the mind through whilst maintaining a concrete grounding in the world of the real. The use of photographs creates an emotional relationship between the viewer and reality whilst the use of a highly saturated palette, of bold, hyper-real shades, opens the doors of perception to a world of visual titillation.

Favourite Contemporary Artists: Andreas Gursky, Wolfgang Tillmans, Bridget Riley, Gerhard Richter, Mark Quinn, Anish Kapoor, Alexis Harding, Jean Michel Basquiat, John Monks

Favourite Street Artists: Roa, C15, David Walker, Malarky, El Bocho, Blu

Danni Jacques

Portrait & Contemporary Artist & Photographer,
Shoreditch, London