Danielle’s writing and art have appeared in several local and international journals such as POETRY Magazine, Poetry London, The Rialto, the Prairie Schooner, The Asian American Literary Review, Bim: Arts for the 21st Century, the Caribbean Writer, Small Axe Literary Salon, Poui: Cave Hill Journal of Creative Writing, Anthurium: A Caribbean Studies Journal, Dirtcakes Journal, Blackberry: A Magazine, Room Magazine and several others.
Danielle is the illustrator of Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure (CaribbeanReads) and The Jungle Outside (HarperCollins Publishers) both written by Joanne C. Hillhouse. She has illustrated several other projects, most recently the EarthCraft Oracle Deck, to be published in 2021 by Hay House Publishers. Her first collection of poems, Doe Songs was published by Peepal Tree Press in 2018. Doe Songs was awarded the 2019 OCM Bocas Prize for Poetry.
Danielle, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start painting?
Art has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve been drawing as long as I could hold a pencil, and started painting a few years after that. I don’t think there was any specific catalyst, because it was always present, always a part of me… always something I needed to do. I was a quiet, introverted child, and there was always so much that I could not bring myself to say. I was never quite able to put everything that I felt into words. Art became the only way I could express myself. It still is my most true language, the way I can speak the most honestly and fearlessly.
Your paintings often depict women entangled in the natural world. What is the significance of nature in your art?
I grew up in a quiet, rural part of northeast Trinidad. We were close to the forest, and some of that deep, unknowable energy was always present in our everyday lives. There was always a sense of mystery, and our lives were full of stories. I’ve always had that understanding that I am not separate from the natural world, that I am part of the body of nature, and part of everything that grows. I try to explore that in my art in ways that I would not otherwise be able to express.
What is your personal relationship with the natural world?
For me, nature is sacred, and it is medicine. It helps heal and inspire me. I keep a small garden, and I spend as much time in it as possible. I try to remain open and receptive to the wisdom of plants and small creatures, and to the quiet magic of the natural world.
How does the culture and ecosystems of Trinidad and Tobago influence your art?
My work is deeply rooted in Trinidad and Tobago, in its culture, its flora and fauna, its myths, its history, in the lived experience of being born and raised in these islands. I draw upon this rich source for inspirations, for symbolism, and even for colour and imagery.
Do you believe that art can be used as a tool to inspire a sense of love and wonder for the natural world? If so, how?
I do. I think art can show us things in an entirely different way, and helps us see the extraordinary in the ordinary. My own experience of falling in love with art changed my life completely. Reading poetry, looking at paintings, listening to music… all these things transformed the way I saw the natural world, and continues to enrich and deepen the way I live in the magical place I call home.
What are some of the main themes running through your artwork? Do you have a particular favorite theme that you focus on?
I keep exploring the same main themes: landscape, womanhood, flora and fauna, myth, memory, magic…. And then there are the other themes I return to as well, like freedom, reproductive justice, motherhood and conservation. I like to think of it as a kind of spiral: returning over and over again to the themes that are close to my heart, journeying deeper into these ideas, and coming to different insights, meanings and visuals.
Which artists inspire you the most from the Caribbean?
This is always a hard question, because there are SO many artists hailing from different backgrounds in this rich and diverse region whose work has inspired me along the journey. The ones who come to mind immediately: James Hackett, Wendell McShine, Shalini Seereeram, Tessa Alexander. And there are soo many others. It’s hard not to absorb and be inspired, whether consciously or not, living in a region like this one. This is not at all limited to the visual arts. Lately I’ve been inspired by the incredible artistry of Moko Somokow, and the photography of Maria Nunes. I’ve been continuously inspired by musicians and writers as well. Caribbean poetry has been one of my greatest influences. The work of Lorna Goodison, Jennifer Rahim, Nancy Morejon, Olive Senior, Martin Carter, Wilson Harris… poetry has always inspired and nourished not only my own writing, but my visual imagination in my painting as well.
Find Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné’s work at @dboodoofortune
Writer and steward for the Earth.