Danny Bilsborough
Danny
Bilsborough, NSCC alumna and owner of Danny B Studios, has spent most of her
days consulting various clients on software options for their new business
endeavours.
Although she’s been involved with assessing some really exciting
projects, nothing makes her happier than grabbing her brush and splashing
colour on a canvas. That’s why she’s decided to take the plunge into becoming a
full-time artist.
“I
was always so scared to try using colour, but when my daughter was born and the
opportunity came to incorporate these new palettes into her life, they quickly
found their way into mine,” she says.
Colour
brings light to many things and gives people a sense of enjoyment. Markus Maier
explained in his academic journal titled Color Psychology that colour carries
great meaning and can have an important impact on people's affect, cognition
and behaviour.
Bilsborough’s
favourite pieces to create are those of nature and animals – a quick look at
her online Etsy page confirms this. She believes her paintings “Are a great way
to reconnect people with animals, since they’re so overlooked.” Her art is
helping people build brighter connections to their pets, but it wasn’t always
rainbows and butterflies for her.
“Growing
up, I was a troubled teen,” she shares. “I did a lot of drawing and my art was
very dark.” Fast-forward to today and her ability to step outside her comfort
zone has pushed her to be more successful than she’s ever imagined. She went
from creating melancholic drawings, to face painting at children’s parties and
other various events. Now – she creates jubilant canvas art.
“It
was a surprising and exciting transition,” she continues. “I didn’t expect that
I would love it so much.” Danny’s knack for colourful creations has greatly
contributed to her success, but she’s not content with status quo – she still
has plans for the future. “I’ve always wanted to work with animals. I’ve even
developed a business plan to open a shelter someday,” she says.
Bilsborough
does her best to keep up with the steady demand for her art. “I’ve been slammed
with requests all year, but this season, it’s really started to pick up.”
When
she’s not painting, she can be found doing her rounds of donation deliveries to
local animal shelters. She created a fundraising campaign called Pawsitive
Prints where portions of proceeds are donated to shelters. Danny has even
painted some of the animals while they were waiting for their homes.
“Having
our animals painted really brings out their individuality,” says Gisele Gomes,
employee at Homeward Bound, a Dartmouth animal shelter. “They’re not just a
homeless animal, they’re a smile and a personality and Danny does an amazing
job of portraying this so people can appreciate them for who they are.”
Custom
paintings or Pawsitive Prints are available through Etsy and on Bilsborough’s website.
~ By Sarah Wilson