05/20/07

You are about to view the work and get to know a bit of the artistic background of an extremely talented, international artist that has touched the lives of each of the clients and artists that have had the privilege to work with her.

Daniela Collins is from Brazil, and at 18 began to study Fine Arts at the nationally recognized Brazilian “Escola Panamericana de Artes” in the city of Sao Paulo. She worked as an apprentice at the studios of some of her teachers, and with her talents, began to teach drawing and art.

In 1991 she was hired as a drawing and painting teacher at the “Pro Arte” School of arts in her hometown, Campinas. At this time she also taught oil painting and drawing at different art studios and continued to work with local artists in order to improve her artistic skills. While teaching at the “Pro Arte” School, Daniela began to get involved in the local arts community and had numerous group and solo exhibits of her work, selling most of the exhibited pieces.

From 1993 to 1997, Daniela did not produce any works of art concentrating mostly on her career as a business and instructional consultant. In 1997 she moved to the US and began studying Art history and design. During this period she did not, as she says, hold a pencil or a brush other than for leaving notes, or painting plain walls. Little did she know that this period would only strengthen her love for her work as an artist and strengthen her resolve to focus on it once again.

In 2000, Daniela painted the furniture of her doctor’s daughter. After speaking with the little girl, Daniela also suggested that a mural be painted to accompany the furniture.  Her first mural, Little Girl’s Dream, was the beginning of a new passion: the passion of painting murals and for the decorative arts.

In October 2000, near the end of her second pregnancy, Daniela was commissioned to paint a mural of Martha’s Vineyard at her doctor’s home. At the end of this project Daniela decided to concentrate her efforts on raising her family and enjoying her little ones.

In 2002, Daniela began to work with glazes for faux finishes, furniture painting, screen painting, and of course her wonderful commissioned murals.

In 2003, Daniela completed faux finished projects and two other large-scale murals in MD and CO. Respectively, Nature’s Dream and Horses.

In 2004, during a trip back to Brazil, Daniela had the opportunity to broaden her techniques during a series of workshops with one of Brazil’s Liturgical Arts masters, Sergio Prata. With Mr. Prata, Daniela learned how to produce pieces using techniques such as Buon Fresco (lime and sand putty technique used by masters such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Giotto among others), cold and hot Encaustics (bees’ wax based ancient technique used by Egyptians to paint the pharaohs’ tombs and decorative items), and also Concrete Relief sculptures that are used as decorative structures for buildings and different settings.

Daniela’s varied artistic background has led her to the most fulfilling part of her work. With each new commissioned piece and project comes the interaction and working with new people. She creates each of her pieces and projects through this interaction, ensuring her clients involvement throughout the process. Daniela’s excitement for her work is contagious. With each new project, no matter how simple or complex, she dedicates all of her knowledge and attention. The biggest rewards are the compliments of her satisfied clients and the feeling that her work will continue to touch their lives.