Biography

(B. 1996) Danielle Clarke is a contemporary realist oil painter based in Toronto. Through representational art she examines and exalts the female figures she depicts. She earned he BFA from York University in 2018 and has studied at Oxford Brookes University in the UK.

Artist Statement

I celebrate the human, the mundane, and the ordinary with unidealized imagery and brushwork. My paintings stem from a personal desire to be more accepting of my own body as a woman living in a society which values a specific body shape, and a desire to help others feel more comfortable as themselves.

I want others to see themselves in the same positive regard that I do, where everything is only shapes and spaces, with none being particularly better or worse than any other. This drives my creative process, from the concept’s inception to making the model as comfortable as possible during the reference shoot. The careful and loving rendering of the forms captures a moment in time wherein the models are truly content with themselves. It’s a time where any worries about their perceived flaws have faded to the back of their minds, in a place where they feel no need to put up any facades. The paintings accept and glorify imperfections which others may also see within themselves, in a medium traditionally used for depicting prestigious and beautiful subjects. In the time and care put into these paintings is the will to change image standards and to heighten self image.

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