Biography

Daniella Puls is an American self-taught oil pastel artist of Hungarian descent. She was born in the Northern Midwest in Spooner, Wisconsin. As a child, Puls was gifted in art and music and started playing the violin and cello at an early age. Through grade school and into high school, Puls was advised by her Art Instructors to embrace her artistic abilities and consider pursuing an Arts Degree.

At 17, Puls enlisted in the military and later became a police officer and volunteer firefighter. In 2014, she was diagnosed with a life-long brain illness that left her visually impaired, forcing her to end her career. Since then, she has found new challenges in life to overcome. Puls believes that Art Imitates Life, from the minimalistic calm to the chaotic. She uses her artistic skills to voice her expressiveness and passions and guide her when she feels confined.

Daniella Puls feels no boundaries when working on her artworks. The spectrum is a wide-open canvas, which can be seen among her artwork pieces. Although visually impaired, Puls uses art as a channel to express her feelings and emotions. Her art is a mix of both abstract and contemporary works. She enjoys geometric shapes and linear patterns. Her inspirations are Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and Albers. Puls has an undertone of mediums, from soft pastels to watercolour painting. Puls's greatest inspiration for her abstract geometrics comes from her grandfather, who did stained glass artwork. Her linear-lined art is often created by musical notes.

When Puls is not creating artwork through various mediums, she enjoys hiking, camping and foraging for many fruits and vegetables. Puls also enjoys cooking, seasonal canning and making authentic Hungarian dishes. Puls enjoys writing a great deal and is also a published author of poetry. Today, Puls resides with her family and 4 rescue animals in Central Minnesota.

Artist Statement

I create contemporary, abstract artwork using old-world oil pastel techniques and my fingers as the primary tools. Working directly with my hands allows the process to remain intimate, instinctive, and deeply connected to the artwork itself. Rather than relying on brushes or rigid structure, I build each piece through touch—layering, blending, pressing, and moving the pastel across the surface.

My work is intentionally simplistic, yet expressive. I am drawn to the beauty found in restraint: a gesture, a subtle shift in color, an imperfect edge, or a quiet space can communicate more than complexity ever could. I allow each mark to carry emotion while leaving room for the viewer's own interpretation.

There is a balance between control and spontaneity in my process. I begin with an idea, but I let the materials and movement of my hands guide the work as it develops. The result is contemporary abstraction grounded in a tactile, almost instinctive practice. For me, creating is less about depicting something literally and more about capturing a feeling. I seek to make work that feels honest, beautiful, and alive—pieces that invite the viewer to pause, connect, and experience something of their own within the simplicity of the work.

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Daniella Puls

Charlotte Shroyer

Kenjiro Asaki