photo: Courtesy of Danielle Klinenberg.
Danielle Klinenberg is singing "Sweet Home Chicago" these days. After seven years of promoting other artists in San Francisco, Danielle Klinenberg moved back to Chicago in 2004. Soon thereafter, five of her beautifully abstract watercolor paintings were placed in "The Break Up," the famous flick starring Vaughnifer; her newly-founded art consulting business for galleries took off; and she launched the kids-centric "Art Party Play Dates." The most recent wave of success landed her a solo show at
Thomas Masters Gallery, which runs through July 2006. I chatted with Danielle last week in the gallery.
Tell me how the Hollywood discovery happened.
I'd been sitting in the Andrew Bae Gallery in River North for just a few weeks and one day I was writing a brainstorm of different ideas of ways I thought we could get a wider audience for the art gallery, cause that's a mission of mine, to create a wider audience for visual art. One of the ideas I wrote was to place artwork in movies or television shows. No kidding, about three hours later this guy walks into the gallery and says he's shooting a movie and that he needs some art work for it. I spent time with him showing work in the gallery. At one point he turned to me and said, 'Hey Danielle, you're an artist, you paint right?' I described it to him and he said that it sounded interesting. Five paintings ended up in the movie.
Why do you think your art career has fallen into place since moving to Chicago?
One answer is the winter. Another answer is that I had a real drive to focus and develop when I moved here. While living in San Francisco I had put so much of my time and energy working on careers of other artists. I realized I could do that for myself.
Do you think that having your art placed in the film or the solo gallery show has affected you more?
I think the movie helped me get the gallery in my lap. But I feel more invested and happy about the gallery. The gallery means to more personally, but the movie means more to most people.
Do you think that's the wave of the future for artists...to place their art in movies and popular media outlets?
No...I was very lucky for that to happen to me. I mean it's not realistic for everyone to get their paintings in movies. I do think artists have to work a lot harder for themselves these days, to be more creative about how to get their art out there.
You worked in the gallery scene in San Francisco and here, and you know both art worlds well. What feels different between the two cities in terms of the art world?
Well, I know far more people who are artists in San Francisco than in Chicago. So there are more artists living in San Francisco, but I think more people are buying art here. I worked in one of the best galleries in San Francisco and people didn't really buy art there. They had the money, but just always took their time with deciding. Here people buy paintings. Here people buy condos. When I worked at Andrew Bae Gallery people would just walk in and buy a painting.
Which one of you art jobs is most fulfilling for you?
Being a painter is what I really want to do. But the other ones are fulfilling in other ways. It's very exciting, the consulting business - to make things happen, and to connect people. I love business.
I also have the "Art Party Play Dates" business, but much of it is education. It's really fulfilling also but in a very different way. It makes me feel really good to know that I'm enabling children to be artists and to nurture that part of their souls and their development.
How do you do all this, wear all these hats in the art world?
I'm determined. I'm naturally a high-energy person. Exercise and sleep are important too. Most of it's about this [points to heart] more than lists and calendars and being organized.
What's the priority for you now?
"Art Party Play Dates" is a priority, encouraging children to fall in love with art the way that I had. I'm really trying to get that business started. Another one of my next moves is to get into a bigger studio and to make a bigger commitment to painting.
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