Danielle Crooks-Nyland is a freelance Pennsylvania artist, photographer, and writer. She is a Greene County native and lives with her husband and two sons in her hometown.

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Danielle works in multiple mediums, including colored pencils, charcoals & pastels, acrylic paints, watercolors, and digital. She has a passion for photographing abandoned and industrial places and things and loves the scenic beauty of rural Pennsylvania. Her favorite subjects range from otherworldly skeletons, witches, ghosts, and everything Halloween to vultures, ravens, other wildlife, and landscapes, with some still lifes and pop culture in between. 

 

“I get my inspiration for my art and writing from horror movies and novels, Halloween, Lovecraft, Poe, and anything strange or unusual that goes bump in the night. The macabre has always been a fascination for me from a very young age.”

 

“Horror has a unique appeal that draws people in. I’m interested in exploring our fascination with fear and what makes horror so captivating. It’s a safe exploration of fear. Horror allows individuals to confront fears in a controlled environment, where they can process their emotions without real danger.”

 

“And as a child of the ‘80s, I have a love for bright neon colors. I love to contrast vivid neon colors with dark subjects and often incorporate blacklight into my paintings.”

 

Danielle’s work has been featured at the Westmoreland Juried Art & Photography Exhibition, Waynesburg University’s Benedum Gallery, and Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (Ligonier).

 

As part of the SWPA Rural Exploration team, Danielle has been photographing and writing about local history and events since 2010. Active in local community events and committees, Danielle often serves as an interactive artist at Art Blast on the Mon and is involved in other community art initiatives. She serves as the membership chair and handles the online presence for Morgantown Art Association. She’s also a board member with Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful, and a previous board member (secretary) for Flenniken Public Library.

 

Danielle served as the editor for GreeneScene Community Magazine for almost eight years, until February 2025. She has previously taught graphic design and Adobe Creative Suite at Laurel Business Institute (Uniontown campus). Danielle graduated American Public University with an associate degree in web publishing and Bellevue University with a bachelor degree in graphic design. She also attended the New York Institute of Photography.