Danielle Bewer

My work seeks to reconnect to the joy of the child within, to cut through the layers of conditioning and give voice to that pure, candid, playful energy. My abstract ceramic art can be seen as a conversation between pattern and color. It’s the dialog between these two—the tension between order and emotion, between the composition’s rigid structure and the exuberant color of its parts—that gives form to the message. The result is a satisfying compromise: there’s harmony in containment, but it’s the color, the emotion that has the last word.

On a material level, what gives my work its distinct feel is the choice of colored clays and semi-translucent glazes. The colored clays contribute an underlying warmth, and the translucence of glazes allows for a coherence of parts. I'm also drawn to the semi-translucent glazes for the depth of color that they offer, something that is often lacking in their opaque counterparts.

Among the artists that have inspired my work are Paul Klee for his dreamy playfulness, Joseph Albers for his perfect synthesis of color and form, Mark Rothko for the immersive experience of his colors, and Agnes Martin for her clarity of vision.

I hope that my work conveys the joy that I feel making it, and that...

My background is in art, architecture and design, though I later added a BA in English and a MA in Italian from UCLA. Born in New York, I spent fifteen years of my early life in Europe: eight years in Rome where my family moved when I was eight; five years in London where I studied first architecture at the Architectural Association, then graphic design at the London College of Printing; and finally two years in a small town in Italy where I took my first classes in the art of ceramics with a local master. Those early years in Europe greatly influenced my aesthetics. The second part of my life was spent back in the US: after two years freelancing in graphic design in New York, I settled in California where I continued my work in design and raised three children. I now reside and work in San Clemente, California.

Exhibits:

July 14-16, 2023 - Art Santa Fe - Jen Tough Collective, Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 W Marcy St., NM

June 1-19, 2023 - Artist Collective Show, Jen Tough Gallery, 4 N Chamisa Dr., Santa Fe, NM

March 30-April 1, 2023 - Art Expo New York - Jen Tough Collective, Pier 36 - 299 South St., New York, NY

July 9–October 8 - All Media 2022, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA

Sept 22-25, 2022 - The Other Art Fair Los Angeles, The Barker Hanger, Santa Monica, CA

August 20–September 17, 2022 - Off Center, Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA

April 2022 - Annual Group Show, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA

July 2021 - Artist Spotlight Solo Art Exhibition, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA.

2021 - Online Exhibition, 5th Annual Colors Art Exhibition, Fusion Art, Palm Springs, CA. Honorable Mention

2021 - Group Exhibition, Heeled, A Western Ballad, H Gallery., Ventura, CA.

2021 - Online Exhibition, Art in the Time of Corona, Dab Art Co., Los Angeles. Artwork sold on Artsy.

2021 - Group Exhibition, Remodeling in Progress, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA

2020 - Online Exhibition, Make Plain, Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, CA

2020 - Group Exhibition, The Next Big Thing 2020 Studio Channel Islands Art Center, Camarillo, CA

2020 - O...