Interview
Danielle Zirkelbach
Danielle Zirkelbach is a globally renowned professional artist who is quickly becoming one of the most powerful females in her industry. The 2019 Artworks Hall of Fame Inductee is hailed as “one of the most excited artist to come along in decades.” Danielle has overcome impossibility and is a powerhouse of authentic entrepreneurial success with her thriving business, Danielle Zirk LLC.
Proudly, she leads others to a future of knowledge and possibility. Her creative vision is unique verification of how her practices are proven. She transcends impossibility from flesh to canvas with art for a world needing to remember its power.
Danielle is evolving the life of contemporary art by transforming physical space with images carrying frequency. The world’s first-ever project of this kind is revolutionizing the way we experience art. A documentary diving deep into this journey will release in winter of 2024, created by her YouTube production team.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I graduated from Florida Southern College a soccer player with a BA in Science and Fine Arts. I loved art, but wasn’t a proficient artist yet. All I knew was I wanted to be a champion surfer and the best artist in the world living in Hawaii. My dream was huge and it terrified me, leading to night terrors and insomnia.
My family and friends didn’t take my dream seriously, but that just made me want it even more. It made me a fire-filled, creative person. Along the way, I’ve had to figure out how to turn my darkest shadows into my greatest assets, and I can say now that I’ve succeeded in overcoming all odds. Words were always scary to me, so art became my voice.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work aims to defend mothers and protect how that spills into our children and the world they inherit. That comes in the surf, art, and sports world. In the surf world, a man goes out to a dangerous wave for his reasons and gets badly injured. He makes a massive comeback and is now a hero of the sport and an inspiration to the world. Some of those comebacks are an essential part of sports history, inspiring me enormously, but there’s a hole in the story that I feel it’s my duty to tell.
In the surf world, a woman gets pregnant, she is so in love with the sport, and it makes her feel so free that she fights every discomfort and takes a risk to surf through her entire pregnancy. She battles very aggressive men, even with her big belly, to get a wave to make her feel normal and happy and make her baby happy. Then she gives painful birth, sustains a massive injury, fights exhaustion, pain, and sleep deprivation, fights mental, hormonal, and physical trauma, learns a new life and body, and makes a massive comeback. There’s no backing, no fundraising, no support, no help in the line up on her 30 minute break from a 24 hour cycle. She still has to battle to get an inch of respect. Her massive come back, and is not even recognized. She's the furthest thing from a hero in the surf world eyes, or even in the world of sports. She’s marked as damaged goods. As she has the courage to make her comeback, she’s now the strongest she’s ever been. She knows sacrifice, lives for something much bigger than herself, and loves so deeply that she never makes a peep, just moves forward with her child. Yet her story travels no further the the walls of her and her families homes.
She's the furthest thing from a hero in the surf world's eyes or even in the world of sports. Sadly, the surf industry feels more like a modeling agency that only considers you if you are under 20 with a Photoshopped body and don't have to work, so you can surf and make branded content.
The world, in general, hasn't glorified mothers in a way that makes them heroes. And it's a hole in people's hearts because we all love our mothers, yet no one is responsible for changing how society treats them. What if she was treated more like a hero and was inducted into this unique movement that celebrated and supported her massive comeback in the lineup or sport? My son's love has made me better every day, and I'm now a strong person who can stand up for mothers, make a massive change in the world, and make the world better for our children's future. I have a very supportive partner who is a great, present father who always promotes mothers, stands up for them, and makes room for them after our experience."
“Vulnerability is strength, knowing yourself is power, and acting in service for the betterment of this world is heroic.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“It starts with a message or experience that God has put in my heart. With that as the foundation, I try to plan something, but it usually takes on a life of its own. I rarely end up with the art I plan, but it always ends up better with the bigger artist in the works. And that’s special to me because this idea of control is limiting. So when I create, I let God guide me through it.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I am returning to school at the Milan Art Institute to complete their Master’s program. I’m learning traditional painting techniques that are lost in this age, like the Baroque style which is from the 17th-century. So far, I can't believe how many mistakes I’ve been making and how much information can go into one painting. What I’m learning is transforming my art.
I don’t really follow trends. I like to think I'm always working from inward to outward, which gives me a unique vision that will help people feel inspired to find themselves and their gifts. We're all unique and have unique hardships that serve us instead of hurt us. And if we can move forward in life knowing that even the bad times are teachers, we can solidify our sovereign independence and be better humans for the greater good of everyone. Right now, our world is experiencing the effects of the generational drama. It's stamped with endless ego, selfishness, manipulation, and prejudice that equals unauthentic humans doing things for the wrong reasons.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“Right now, I’m learning every medium I can. Art is freedom, but I have felt limited because I never took the opportunity to learn other ways. Until this year, my work only used acrylics. Now I’m having fun practicing Fat to Thin with oils and mixing mediums.
I’m a huge fan of Winsor and Newton’s art supplies because of the top-level quality it gives my work. I also love their standpoint on how they view artists and our environment.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My art has become my voice. I have lived so much of my life disconnected to my voice and ignoring its value. Once people started to see my art and relate to what they saw, I finally found a place to share my gift and use my voice. Otherwise, I may never have the courage to do anything meaningful, and I would have wasted the gift God graced me with. It’s my birthright to change the world, and this is why I keep on this path.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My favorite piece I’ve created is my "Princess Ka'iulani" painting, which I created at one of the lowest times of my life. She was a young Hawaiian girl who went to the mainland and defended her people from many powerful and vicious politicians. Her bravery inspires me. Since learning her story, I’ve carried it with me as a beacon of hope. I resonate with her because I moved far from home to follow my dream and help others.
I also had a dream about her at a pivotal time in my life. I was looking at the painting and suddenly, she came off the wall, thanked me for being brave and gave me advice. That day, I put a hefty $50,000 price tag on it because I knew it would only be for the person willing to see how special that painting is, and give her a good home.”
Please tell us about any previous exhibitions you found noteworthy and wish to share.
“My exhibitions are as follows:
Solo expedition at Wyland Gallery in Kailua-Koa, Hawaii.
Art Show Expedition Odaiba Fest, Tokyo, Japan.
Online Art Show and Video Premier with Slightly Stoopid, One Fine Day.”
Website: www.daniellezirk.com
Instagram: @danielle.zirk
