Meet Daniela~ Owner, Designer & Curator
Meet Daniela! Owner, Designer & Curator of Water Street Jewelers.
In addition to being a jewelry industry professional, Daniela is also a prolific artist and painter and brings her eye for color, design and style to the curated collections and all of the custom design work at Water Street Jewelers. Her innate love of creating drives her passion for both jewelry and painting. Here's a glimpse into her background and journey as a painter.
"The folk-style subject matter of my works often celebrates the beauty of all things living, with a focus on organic elements, people, and nature. The compositions are usually story-telling, stemming from an unscripted place. It is seldom that I am inspired to paint a specific image because my paintings and drawings are born from experiences instead of pure imagery. Vision and energy is prompted by conversations with strangers, avid people watching, visiting new geography, and eating chocolate made with over 70% cacao. I become instantly hungry to paint, sit at a blank canvas, and begin to dip that brush....
My favorite childhood gift was bestowed on my fifth birthday when I walked into my mother's room to discover a cardboard box over pouring with every colorful medium imaginable. I can still recall the smells of waxy cray-paws and the exhaust incurred while performing childish nomenclature on all 48 colored pencils. It was moments like this that set the foundation for my love of art, and prompted a lifelong desire to creatively interact with my surroundings.
At age 17, I moved to Albuquerque, NM where I studied various arts including art history, drawing, glass blowing, and beading. I would ride busses alone from Albuquerque to Santa Fe with sketch pad in hand. The open horizon and color pallet of the desert contradicted my East Coast upbringing, and prompted a shift in my creative process and thought.
At age 19, I graduated from NMSNT with a degree in Natural Therapeutics. Studies of anatomy and physiology stimulated my desire to paint organic and natural forms. I recognized that shape and forms are often repeated in nature, and became eager to understand biology and chemistry in a greater capacity. I moved to Connecticut in my early 20's and earned a Bachelor's of Science in Pre-Veterinary Biology at SCSU.
I served my post-graduate years as a massage therapist and an art teacher, and eventually moved on to open creative centers for children including a private children’s art studio in Milford, CT, a creative space named Blend in Branford, CT, and the Painted Pomegranate at the JCC in Woodbridge, CT.
I have illustrated numerous children's books including a publication for Patagonia, and the Milford Cookbook which was featured on NPR's Faith Middleton show.
My work is just as crucial to my existence as eating & breathing, and I hope to evolve and learn continuously throughout this lifetime.
