Dani

Dani is my wonderful daughter-in-law. She is married to my second son, Jet. She’s an adoring wife and wonderful mother to their 3 year old daughter, Juneau. She is also an artist and I’d like to share her talent with the world. Dani excels in watercolor and I love receiving framable birthday cards that she paints just for me.

I asked Dani a few questions about her art and I am sharing her response with you.

I absolutely love watercolor. It’s the least forgiving of all the mediums out there but I have always appreciated how low maintenance it is. All I need is some good paper, my Daniel Smith pocket pallet, a few good brushes and I’m set. I have tried acrylic and oil and they both had some drawbacks that always made me come back to watercolor and it just stuck.

I draw inspiration from a lot of different sources. Years ago I really fell in love with Beatrix Potter. Her books full of beautiful wildlife illustrations quickly became a favorite source of inspiration. In addition to wildlife, I have always loved creating abstract pieces. I love having creative freedom without the confines of a reference photo and allowing the viewer to have their own interpretation. I do however love using photos from our travels as a reference. I don’t mind sitting for hours with a captured moment of a happy memory because it takes me back to those lovely adventures.

Oftentimes paintings created from a reference photograph take several hours and days to complete, but at the end of the project I likely feel a bigger sense of accomplishment in comparison to my abstract pieces.

The frog painting was created using a reference photograph taken on one of our trips to Costa Rica. We were staying at a lodge in Arenal that overlooked Arenal Volcano. Every night we were there we went out with our headlamps and would check every banana leaf on the property for red eyed tree frogs. They are majestic little animals I only knew of in wildlife books growing up. I never actually thought I’d get to see one in person, so this photo encapsulates a very special moment for both my husband and me. Of all the places we have traveled to, Costa Rica still remains in the top 3 because of all the beautiful wildlife we see when we visit. 

This is just a small sample of her artwork. I am so very proud of who she is as a wife and mommy, but she’s also a blessed addition to our family as a whole. And I love her as my own.

♥️

Andi