Danielle Kimzey grew up in Dallas, Texas and counts her earliest exposure to art as Jonathan Borofsky’s "Five Hammering Men” at NorthPark Mall and the Sanger-Harris mosaic on the facade of Valley View Mall by Brenda J. Stubel. Malls had a big impact back then! These works continue to inspire her, the bright colorful patterns of Strubel and the "can't stop, won't stop" tenacity of the Hammering Man, as the chaos of raising three kids bring unique colors and images into her life, while also forcing her to get creative when it comes to working in her studio in Little Forest Hills.

After graduating from SMU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Danielle spent time working as a muralist in Costa Rica, and then a tour guide in France. While living and traveling in Europe, she was moved by the colors and light of the work she sought out, Chagall, Cezanne, Bonnard. She went on to obtain a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Iowa in 2011, and then moved with her husband to California, where the light and atmosphere of the changing landscape continued to intrigue her. Upon settling in East Dallas to raise a family, she is continually awestruck by turns of light, the way the sky breaks apart into facets of various colors, driving by White Rock Lake at sunset can really get her going! Her kids have also created situations of surprise (well, mostly messes) and detours that would make her want to capture this particular rip in the ordinary, expose the ways in which something upturned really makes you think about the space time continuum… oh wait, is that just her? But really, she is obsessed with time and how it’s something we exist in and out of at various moments. While constantly working, some of her paintings will take a year or two to actualize, going through a multitude of iterations until she figures it out. For the last 20 years, her work has been exhibited nationally, and is collected by Park House and the Toyota Headquarters, as well as many other private collections.

Danielle has been commissioned for public art projects in Costa Rica, California, Illinois, Texas and Florida. In 2020 her 40 foot Living Wall design was installed using a variety of plants in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. That one was the most fun to research, a solo trip to the beach!

Danielle has taught art at the elementary, middle school, high school and college level. She’s worried that kids aren’t learning enough about art, so spends way too much time taking on projects to help the arts in her kids’ schools. Currently she teaches Painting at Brookhaven College and Art Appreciation to anyone who will listen.

Contact Information:

Email: dhkimzey at gmail.com

Instagram: @Danielle_Kimzey