The Meadows Mine. The Mountains Mine.

As I meandered down the halls of the Gallery Annex at the Harrison Center gazing at the lovely landscapes by Danielle Winger that will be hanging there throughout February, I couldn’t help but to think of what a cozy feeling they gave me. In spite of the fact that they are comprised of many cool color combinations, I had to admit that they filled me with a sense of warmth and comfort. When I read what Danielle had written about her work, my experience made sense. As a child, Danielle’s family moved around from place to place in the United States, including eight states and fourteen different cities. The artwork featured in this show is inspired by a place called Lake Almanor, just outside of Larsen Park. It is the place that Danielle considers to be the only constant in her life growing up since she visited there every summer with her family. As someone whose family also moved around a great deal during my childhood, I can completely understand the longing for connection and community that is felt when we dream of a place where we belong. The gorgeous landscapes in the annex were, indeed, warm and cozy, because they were created to express the artist’s version of what “ home” looks like for her.

Danielle’s paintings are done largely from memories, and as such the images are often “hybrids” of multiple landscapes blended together with the artist’s childhood experience and her vibrant, luscious brushstrokes. She considers painting pine trees and mountains to be a place of “solace and safety” as they represent her version of a childhood home. I love how intuitive these works are, as if these landscapes are hidden somewhere and can only come to life when summoned by the artist’s imagination. Even though the paintings feature such cool, woodsy color schemes, she has allowed bits of red and orange to peek out from the under painting, creating an atmosphere that is alive and emotional. In some cases the figures in the paintings remind us there is a narrative taking place, and that this beautiful imagery represents the deep affection and longing that so many of us feel for our childhood homes.

These paintings of “home” are all the more poignant and understandable given that the artist only moved to Indiana with her husband and children within the last year from Nashville, Tennessee. Danielle’s artwork is already making an impact on her new home, and this exhibit is just one example of that. An adjunct professor at Ivy Tech Community College, Winger’s art is also featured as part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis 2019-2020 High Art Billboard Project.

The show hangs in the Gallery Annex through the end of February, 2020, and may be viewed weekdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm.