About me

My name is Daniela Calandra and Danica is my pseudonym as illustrator.  

I was born in Sicily (Italy), graduated at the University of Architecture in Venice (Italy) and based in Barcelona (Spain) since 2006. 

As long as I can remember I’ve always loved sketching and drawing on notebooks but only at the age of 26 I bought my first set of acrylics and oils and painted my first canvas and it wasn’t untill the age of 39 that I started painting regularly!

By the years I realized that art would be more than just a relaxing hobby so, while working as architect, I began my artistic self-training and approached different techniques. 

After many professional turns, ups and downs due to my love-hate relationship with the architectural profession, on 2020 I took advantage of the great crisis to seriously question my future carrer and finally decide to give a chance to my artistic ambitions. 

This is how, little by little, the project Danica. takes shape and finally goes live on 2021 with a collection of illustrations and paintings in different medias such as oil, acrylic, watercolour and digital technique.  

My work

I love painting figurative scenes adding small details that can lead to different interpretations. 

I often use bright yet unsaturated colours to convey positive feelings, muted and calm atmospheres.

I find inspiration from my everyday life, memories, night dreams, music and creative writings from which I love building a delicate and timeless new imaginary universe. 

Apic

Since march 2021 I am member of A.P.I.C. (Associació Professional d’Il·lustradors de Catalunya).

Volat.blog

On 2020 I start collaborating with volat.blog a cultural project moved by great enthusiasm about books whose aim is to embrace and promote creativity unifying artistic passions and putting together text and images with deep care. 

The Logo is a tribute to my roots and family name Calandra which, besides being a Sicilian last name, is also a small greyish-brown Mediterrenean bird with large black patches on the breast and a nice musical song. 

The logo is a personal stylization of the bird in black ink; in a coloured version, is  painted with a calm and muted background paint brushes.

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