Danielle Dumelie is a Canadian artist, educator, and gallery administrator based out of
Regina, Saskatchewan, treaty 4 territory.
Danielle lives and works in Regina, Sask. She received a BEd Art Education in 2007 with a
Major in visual art and a minor in dance from the University of Regina. In 2020, Danielle
received a Master of Art Education with a focus on studio art from the University of Victoria.
Currently, Danielle works as both an educator and a director of the Woods Artspace, a small
artist run gallery.
Danielle works mainly in painting and drawing. Raised on a small farm on the outskirts of the
city, Danielle’s artwork reflects the contrast of rural and urban Saskatchewan. Belonging to
both, but not quite belonging to either, it was within the arts community that Danielle found
her home. Danielle’s work uses bright colours and patterns to create quirky contemporary
portraiture to explore the concept of memory, personal history, and the interconnection of
community.My work begins as a collection of stories and memories that give me a sense of place.
Painting has always been my favourite way to process the world around me. I am a collector.
I like to collect solid things like books, textiles, ceramics, and tools, but I also like to collect
intangible things like skills, ideas, and stories. It seems natural for some of those collections
to make their way into my painting. I have always been drawn to patterns and old things,
some of my earliest memories are of creating art with wallpaper samples and scraps of
material. For me, the repetition and bursts of colour create a sense of warmth and nostalgia.
I often choose portraiture and memories as a subject for my paintings. There is an intimacy to
portraiture that develops between the painter and their subject. It allows time to replay past
conversations and memories. The act of painting gives a concentrated time wherein all the
focus is on the subject. I value the things that make people unique. Each person has brought
their own perspectives and experiences, and the act of painting allows me the time to
understand the subject a little better. Like pieces of fabric coming together to create a quilt,
their experiences have come together to help clarify and deepen my understanding of a bigger
picture.