Danielle Carignan

She's thirty years old. Her art is unique, lively and playful. Her one-of-a-kind works are also useful functional sculptures. Danielle Carignan is blessed with a fertile imagination and is fiendishly attentive to detail. Each member of her furniture family, now numbering 10 in total, is baptized. Once the pieces are named, they seem to develop their own character and perhaps a soul.

There is Antoinette, a slim dresser whose head can be removed to uncover a hidden storage space. Jérémie is a humanoid coat-rack, with a ski-jump nose and removable wooden cap that can be adjusted to suit your mood. Wilbrod is an affectionate cat who is both a child's bench and storage unit. If you take any of these pieces home, they become your companions and a part of your family.

One of Danielle's goals is for adults to rediscover the naiveté and playfulness they once had as children. People at exhibitions regularly talk to Antoinette, Jérémie and Wilbrod; even collectors who have purchased her works admit they find themselves talking to their furniture... Danielle's training as a graphic artist allows her to play with colour and shapes while adding a whimsical air to her solid creations. She has shown her work at exhibitions and design shows across North America, including SOFA Chicago and New York. Her work has also garnered a number of awards and grants, including the Prix de la relève - Salon des métiers d'arts du Québec.