 Danielle O'Connor-Akiyama Artist BiographyPainting in a variety of media, Danielle creates luminous floral images that vibrate with life, energy and colour, whether through a riotous party of flowers or a single magnificent blossom. She has received numerous awards for her paintings which she describes as "sanctuaries for the soul."
Danielle O'Connor Akiyama is a Canadian artist, based in Toronto and has been painting for 30 years. Akiyama's work is collected internationally, and she has received numerous rewards for her exquisite work.
After studying sumi-e, Japanese brush painting, Akiyama's work fuses Eastern and Western styles. Akiyama also studied and worked as an Art Therapist, attempting to achieve personal change through the use of art, with a range of people. Now, she uses her knowledge of Psychology to inject a deeper meaning into her loosely painted impressionist-style flower pieces.
Akiyama methodically rings bells prior to each painting session, as she believes it cleanses herself as well as the air and the canvas. Akiyama believes this recharges her, and the surrounding, energy to maximise the success and inspire the outcome of each piece.
Her mother, who she describes as her first and greatest teacher, once advised her that paintings should never reveal everything, but that the artist should always hold something back. These words of wisdom still ring true and consequently she often leaves enigmatic spaces within a composition, for the viewers eye to rest and dream. However, Danielle states that "sometimes a dreamer needs a grounding force so they can travel upwards endlessly." For this reason, her paintings often have a rooted sense either through the inclusion of bamboo or a vase.
To see art by Danielle O'Connor-Akiyama click here |
