About

HI THERE, NICE TO MEET YOU!

I’m Danielle Nelisse. Born in Detroit, Michigan, now living in Hawaii, I essentially migrated from Motor City grit to tropical jungle bliss. 

Growing up in a working-class neighborhood as the oldest of seven children meant zero space for art—physically or mentally. No art museums, no fancy outings, no “let’s explore our creative side.” From what little I knew about the art world, I assumed all professional artists were men.

My father worked in an auto plant; my mother was a nurse—so dedicated that police once had to escort her to work during the Detroit race riots of the 1960s. You could say my childhood was… eventful.

We eventually moved to Southern California, where the official family plan was for me to become either a nurse or a bank teller. Plot twist: I got expelled from high school for being pregnant. So I became a teen mom, got married, and learned that women at the time weren’t even allowed their own bank accounts or in some cases, to wear pants to work.

Still, I dreamed of a life that involved art supplies. Eventually getting a degree in Women’s Studies showed me that not only did women artists exist, but so did women lawyers… and—who knew?—female private detectives.

For years I worked a day job as a private detective, and later as an immigration attorney, painting during my precious weekends. Life delivered its share of heartbreak: the loss of one of my sisters, one of my children, and my father. My work and those losses shaped how I see the world and poured themselves into my paintings.

Every place I’ve ever lived had a makeshift art studio — be it a kitchen, garage, shed, or carport. Until now! After a long and winding road, I now live in a jungle house on the island of Maui with my best friend/husband Bjorn and our two delightfully mismatched dogs and we are building a new art studio.

These days I’ve hung up the business suits, legal briefs, and undercover disguises. Instead, I’m translating my past into a visual journal—one glorious oil painting at a time. It’s peaceful here, unless you count geckos, roosters, wild boars, or unexpected tropical weather, and we are finally building my dream art studio where I can continue to create abstract artwork that creates an atmosphere, an emotion, and a sense of experience — transforming any room into a space people genuinely enjoy returning to each day.