Danielle Monet Morse
Danielle Monet Morse (born July 21,1972 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Midwest painter of introspective, modernistic, and highly collected abstract art. From the start, Morse distinguished herself as an intuitive colorist and an artist who fearlessly embraces large-scale work, with paintings averaging seven feet by nine feet. Her paintings subsume a personal sensory timeline theme chronicling her visceral and conscious experience from her first breath until present. To date, she has sold out exhibitions of her work and been enthusiastically tapped for public and private commissions.
Morse is also an art collector, pop-up gallery entrepreneur. She currently lives and works in Chicago, IL where she is recognized for her art as well as her approach to redefining the art business.
Early life and background
Morse’s mother, a full-time artist, and her father, an avid art collector, introduced her to the subject at a very young age. Morse’s current art collection, which spans the globe, was carefully procured over a 20-year period. Her middle name, "Monet", was given to her at birth by her father in homage to the French impressionist painter Claude Monet.
Despite her art-influenced upbringing, it wasn't until she turned 36 that Morse embraced her destiny to become a painter. After her education, Morse spent 12 years working in the wholesale flower business, where her keen eye for color and balance helped her find success. She then moved into real estate, spending 10 years as a broker and developer. As fate would have it, during the 2008 real estate market crash she returned to her art roots, discovering painting with the help of a spiritual healer. Morse has been painting full-time ever since.
Her relationships with commercial real estate owners laden with vacant storefronts post market crash proved to Morse’s advantage. She approached owners with the idea of filling spaces with temporary, pop-up art exhibitions. These scenarios allowed Morse to exhibit and sell her paintings without a significant financial commitment, and landlords to realize tenant income until properties were leased long-term. Morse’s deep knowledge of Chicago neighborhoods and demographics helped her pinpoint locations rich in art enthusiasts and buyers. The attention and traffic her exhibitions generated helped Morse quickly ascend to a position of prominence in the Chicago art community, and accelerated the leasing of vacant properties.
Artistic Practice
Morse’s exploration into the abstract is a meditative process. She can often be found isolated in her studio, save for the company of Faris, her French bulldog. Morse is aggressive and knowledgeable in her demeanor and in her art; her style can be characterized by a refreshing disregard for rules and norms. Her innately introspective and irreverent approach allows her to bring the emotional depths of her soul to life on canvas, via intense color and bold, rhythmical applications of paint.
Morse’s artist influences include Joan Mitchell, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Amy Sillman, and Cecily Brown.
Career
From 2008 to 2010 Danielle Monet Morse occupied a studio space in the Flat Iron Artists’ Association (FIAA) in Chicago where she also exhibited and sold her work. She collaborated on paintings with fellow FIAA artists including Lisa Carter and Karen Gagich, who Morse considers long-time mentors. Morse has also collaborated with international artist Brigitte Wolfe, with whom she struck a friendship as she collected Wolfe's paintings.
Morse exhibited her paintings for the grand opening night of Red Arrow Gallery in Lakeside, MI, a 4,000 sq. ft. space and sculpture garden, on July 16, 2011.
On May 4, 2012, Morse was a participating artist in an exhibition titled 30/30 at One Strange Bird in Chicago, IL. The event featured the work of 30 women artists who had developed 30 paintings in 30 days. Paintings sold for $30 and benefited the Humboldt Park's Connection for Abused Women and Children.
Morse’s paintings for her 2012 exhibition "g r i d s y s t e m s" at Park Schreck Gallery (Chicago, IL) were attributed to her artist mentors from the previous 3 years.
From October 2013 to October 2014, Morse opened a permanent storefront space, establishing Treva Gallery in Chicago’s Ukranian Village. Treva Gallery’s opening exhibition happened in mid-January, 2014, during one of the worst winters in Chicago history. Despite brutal temperatures and hazardous travel, Morse managed to attract large crowds and sell out her entire show of 12 large-scale paintings from her “Elephant Puzzle” series.
Collections and Awards
Morse's paintings are part of permanent lobby collections in several noted Chicago buildings, including The Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan, 555 Quincy, 40 E. Oak, and 1100 N. Dearborn.
Morse's awards include the 2011 Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI where she was awarded the Lobby installation at The B.O.B. and the 2011 Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts award in Palmer Lake, CO. Her work was added to the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts exhibition "Reflection on Modern Art”, May 10-June 4, 2011, curated by Marianne Gunter.