2014 - 2015
portfolio of abstract artist danielle harshenin
AK47
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 36" SOLD AK47 is a layered abstract painting that I made in 2014. It was inspired by an old metal ammunition trunk I inherited from my great grandfather. AK47 was immediately (and continues to be) one of my favorite paintings that I have ever made! I loved everything about this piece. A military-inspired colour palette was complimented by ammunition-inspired wording that was spray painted on in the upper left and bottom right corners.
The original painting is sold, but AK47 is still available as a paper prints, canvas prints and art merchandise.
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55 CARTS
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 60" Available 55 Carts was inspired by an area on Highway 97 between Lake Country and Vernon where rocks were blasted to make room for the new highway. The blasting revealed a unique collection of vivid orange and greens rocks - it is my favorite part of the drive! 55 Carts has colour palette inspired by these rocks and military-inspired accents including a hand-painted barcode in the upper right corner. The original painting is still available.
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ROAD TRIPS SERIES
From Left to Right: BC90, LA89, KONA, NY67 Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 12" each SOLD The Road Trip series was a four-piece series I made in 2014 inspired by things you see on road trips like maps, license plates and road markings. Each piece represents a place: British Columbia (BC90), Los Angeles (LA89), Kona, Hawaii (KONA), and New York (NY67). I selected colours that I felt were representative of each of these places. Paint was brushed on, pressed on, and spray painted on to achieve visual interest.
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NO SIGNAL
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 12" SOLD No Signal is a retro throwback to the 80s. It was inspired by the annoying TV test screens that would interrupt your favorite show, forcing you to smack the TV or adjust your antenna... (if you were born in the 80s, you know what I'm talking about!). The black and white areas were meant to look like static. The neutral areas allows the bright colourful sections to really pop!
FUN FACT: I drew inspiration from this piece in 2020 when I painted a Muskoka chair for a community art project. |
MUGSHOT
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 12" SOLD Mugshot is a fun painting I made in 2014 that was inspired by, you guessed it... Mugshots! I have never had any interest (or the attention span) to paint anything too realistic or detailed, so painting this skull was way out of my comfort zone. Overall, I was happy with the way this piece turned out.
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NEW YEAR
Acrylic on Canvas, 40" x 30" SOLD New Year is the first painting I made in 2015. I had set a goal for myself to complete one new painting each week for a year, and this was the first one I made.
I have always loved mandalas - both how they look and what they represent - and often incorporate them into my work. Mandalas symbolize spirituality, wholeness, the cycle of life and creation, and our divine connection to the universe. New Year also contains a lotus flower in the bottom section. Both mandalas and lotus flowers are meditative symbols that invoke feelings of calmness and serenity. Consistent with this theme, I selected a colour palette of light blues, white and creamy tones as these are colours of peace and tranquility. New Year now hangs in a local massage studio - the perfect forever home for this painting! |
SUMMER'S EVE
Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 48" SOLD Summer's Eve is a floral abstract with a bold red palette. My floral abstracts attempt to create floral paintings that are abstract, non-traditional, and full of texture. Acrylic mediums were used to create texture throughout the piece; Flowers were drawn on with fluid acrylic paint and the petals were painted using my fingertips.
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MORNING IN BLUE
Acrylic on Canvas, 30" x 36" Available Morning in Blue is another floral abstract painting I made in 2015. Three-dimensional crackling fissures and other acrylic texture mediums create visual interest under palette of rich teals and browns. Flowers were drawn onto the canvas using fluid acrylic paint and the petals were filled using my fingertips. The background features areas of spray paint and other hand-painted accents. The original painting is still available.
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INTO THE LIGHT
Acrylic on Canvas, 30" x 30" SOLD Into the Light is a colourful fluid abstract painting I made in 2015 . It was created for ArtWalk 2015's theme: Light: Illuminating Art, and was displayed in the Lake Country Art Gallery. Watered down acrylic paints were poured onto the canvas, starting with darker colours at the bottom and moving to lighter colours at the top. The paints were blown around with air to encourage them to flow into one another. Into the Light is a very happy and uplifting piece of abstract art.
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LIFE'S A BEACH II & III
Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 36" (diptych) SOLD Life's a Beach is a fluid abstract series from this period. This diptych features a beach-inspired colour palette of light blue, creamy white, grey and brown. Paint was manipulated to mimic splashing waves.
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HIGH SEAS
Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 24" SOLD High Seas is a fluid abstract painting I made in 2015. I had been playing around with my fluid abstract technique for a few years at this point, and High Seas was the first time I achieved the "wow factor" I was after. I absolutely loved how this piece turned out. The paint flowed together beautifully and resembled ocean waves reaching towards the sky.
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DEEP THOUGHTS II
Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 24" Available at the Lloyd Gallery in Penticton, BC Deep Thoughts is a series of fluid abstract paintings I made in 2015. These pieces have neutral, lightly coloured backgrounds of white and grey that are offset by a bold streak of colours splashing across the canvas. The contrast between the background and fluid section creates the illusion of three-dimensions. A rich colour palette of navy blue, army green, gold, black, dark red, grey, and a hint of pastel teal was used in the fluid abstract section.
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DARK THOUGHTS I
Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 18" Available Following my Deep Thoughts series, I created a Dark Thoughts series. The Dark Thoughts series have dark neutral backgrounds offset by a bold streak of colours splashing across the canvas. The contrast between the background and the fluid section creates the illusion of three-dimensions. A bold colour palette of black, dark red, army green, gold, grey, and electric turquoise was used in the fluid abstract section.
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THE PERCEPTION SERIES
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 12" SOLD The Perception Series is a four-piece series of outlined fluid abstract diptychs. I loved the way Uncertainty turned out so much that I continued playing around with this technique by making four more! Some of these original diptychs are still available.
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CONTEMPORARY ARTIST
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