The artist in her studio, Goshen, CT
Danielle Mailer, Artist Extraordinaire
I love art but I don’t think of myself as a real collector, although I do have three Danielle Mailers!
Several years ago we were invited to an auction fundraiser by our friend H. At the time he was director of Wellspring, a residential treatment center in Connecticut for teens and young adults with addictions and other mental health issues. Of course we were delighted to go and were impressed by the testimonies given by young people who’d been helped by the program.
And of course we bid on many of the items being auctioned, among them a work by a local Connecticut artist named Danielle Mailer. We went home with her print entitled Downward Dog, a representation of a woman in a yoga pose, but with a lyrical and fanciful touch. The more I looked at it, the more I loved Mailer’s bright pallet, and her expressionistic style.
A year later we went to the same fundraiser and came home with another Mailer print – as a local resident the artist is very generous in donating her work to our friend’s center. That print the artist had entitled The Other Side of Fifty, which by then I surely was!
And by then we had also seen the wonderfully colorful 186’ X 22’ mural entitled Fish Tales painted by Mailer on a wall facing the Naugatuck River in Torrington, our Connecticut town. The artist had been granted funds to create a mural to celebrate the return of many fish species to the once polluted river.
And recently we spent a delightful afternoon visiting the artist in her studio, and of course bought another work entitled Bella in the Tree. Bella is the artist’s daughter we learned, and although we didn’t meet her, the red chair she posed in was at the studio. And of course the black cat in the print made it irresistible to us cat-lovers.
We’re thankful we went to that first auction, bid on a painting that caught our eye, eventually bought two more, and finally met Danielle Mailer, artist extraordinaire!
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
It is wonderful when you can support a good cause AND come home with a great piece of art, Dana. Even better when you get to visit the artist’s studio, interact with her, understand her process, see her in her natural habitat, surrounded by the things she works with and what inspires her. That is a “win – win”.
Yes Betsy, and now we have 3 lovely pieces of her art on our walls!
Dana, this is such a wonderful story! I love learning about Danielle Mailer, and the fact that you were introduced to her art at a charity auction is the best! I agree that her art is fabulous. I would love to have “The Other Side of Fifty” hanging on my wall! Is that Danielle in her studio in your featured image?
Thanx Suzy, yes that’s Danielle in the photo.
If this wasn’t a website for Baby Boomers I’d never have guessed you’re on the other side of 50 too!
Google her and you’ll see all her art!
These are great pictures, Dana, and, as others have said, it is particularly thrilling to “discover” and follow an artist, especially an undiscovered one. That said, I just googled Danielle and, yes, she is Norman Mailer’s daughter. So she obviously comes by her artistry naturally — though I doubt she is as much of a jerk as her father was. Anyhow, a great story by you.
Coincidentally, doing the Times crossword puzzle this week, I learned that “downward dog” is a yoga pose. (I figured it out from other clues.)
Thanx John, yes she is Norman Mailer’s daughter, her parents long divorced.
I’m not a consistent exerciser, so was hoping that seeing Downward Dog on the wall everyday would encourage me!
I want to Google Danielle and look at more of her art, which is so appealing! Thanks so much for introducing her to me through this story, Dana.
Yes Mare, her art is so appealing!
I am also happy to have been introduced to Danielle Mailer’s art through this prompt and your lovely pictures. We can all use a bit more color and whimsy in our lives.
Yes indeed Khati!
I love her work, Dana. You were so lucky to win these paintings, thus introducing you to a terrific artist.
Thanx Laurie!
Dana,
I enjoyed reading about your art-collecting journey, and congratulations on building such a fine collection. Art — all kinds of it — has transformative powers and is too often treated as a sideshow to the “more important” things in life.
Thanx Jim!
Ars longa, vita brevis!
Danielle’s work is fun, playful and evocative. Thank you for sharing her with us!
Glad you are charmed by her art too Dave!