Meet Donna ~ ETERNAL OPTIMIST * AMBASSADOR OF KINDNESS * PAINTER OF POSITIVITY

MY “WHY”

Through my art, I aim to offer a respite from life's intense emotions. I know firsthand how heavy the weight of the world can feel, and I want to alleviate that burden, even if just for a moment. My paintings are a reflection of our complexities, yet they also represent hope and positivity. By using soothing colors and thoughtful compositions, I strive to provide a moment of calm amidst life's chaos. I believe in the power of art to bring people together and spark meaningful conversations. In a world that can often feel dark, my goal is to create pieces that radiate love, hope, and kindness, inviting viewers to pause, reconnect, and feel a sense of ease. With each stroke of my brush, I ask myself, "How can this painting serve as a beacon of light for others?"

ARTIST STATEMENT

Donna paints large scale, contemporary acrylic on canvas works that are richly textured and rendered in thick expanses of pigment. Interested in capturing the “authentic” stories of human existence, her compositions fuse an abstract and gestural aesthetic with intimate, deep-seated psychological narratives.

Inspired by human existence itself – its challenges, disappointments, triumphs, and dreams – Donna’s works are visceral, and draw the viewer deep into their enchanting folds. Abstract meets atmospheric, with low saturation hues and smoky void space occupying the fore of these vigorous compositions. Raw earth, rainfall, erosion and natural phenomenons could be references, with each painting rich with both tactile reality and the most powerful and absorbing kind of sensitivity to our feelings towards it.

Committed to art as a spontaneous and therapeutic process, she creates works that are layered with ample residues of emotional physicality. Art has the power to heal and transform. When she discovered just that, Donna knew she had to dedicate her life to making others feel “something” when in the presence of [her] art.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

I am an abstract painter that creates large scale, textural statement artworks.

Based near the stunning mountains of North Vancouver, in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, my studio offers a quaint and inviting experience. Having recently closed our gallery which I ran with three other artists for four years in downtown Vancouver, I am proud to be back painting in my home town where I can truly focus on creating art that makes people feel something wonderful.

Committed to creating artworks that evoke intense emotions that we can all relate to, my heavy use of texture and subtle layers of paint often offer the viewer a moment of pause. I create gestural shapes and moods that make people reflect and feel tranquil at the same time.

Since 2017, I have been a full time artist after I decided I could still heal people through art rather than physically by being a nurse, which I did for 14 years. 22 years in total, I have been honoured to adorn the walls of hundreds of family homes, offices and commercial spaces all over Canada, USA and Mexico.

Travelling is my first love (27 countries thus far) and there is no doubt that my adventures abroad influence the shape, textures and colours of the paintings I create in between trips. Mesmerized by the moss on a stick on one of our hikes, cracks on a wall of a 100 year old castle or the way paint is falling off the side of a building in some foreign town, you will often find me capturing moments on my phone to reference later when I come back to the canvas.

My work has been written about in a variety of publications like Boulevard Magazine, Vancouver Home and across the internet on sites like Fresh Magazine, Vancouver is Awesome and SD Voyager.

Along side IDS Vancouver and the BC Home and Garden Show, each year I produce my own solo art exhibition that always offers a unique twist to the traditional art show experience. Aimed to make everyone feel like they belong in the art world, my goal moving forward is to continue producing beautiful art that tells a story, that is attainable, affordable and something that you are proud to own.

ARTIST CV

Solo Exhibitions:

2022 - Garden of Granite, “Speak Easy and Without Judgement,” North Vancouver, Canada

2021 - The Living Lab, “V.A.C.C.I.N.E. an art show,” North Vancouver BC, Canada

2020 - The Space An Art Gallery, “Together Is Always Better,” Vancouver BC, Canada

2020 - The Space An Art Gallery, “Lost & Found,” Vancouver BC, Canada

2019 - The Space An Art Gallery, “Leave A Little Room For Kindness,” Vancouver BC, Canada

2018 - The Space An Art Gallery, “Dare To Connect,” Vancouver BC, Canada

Selected Group Exhibitions and Art Fairs:

2023 - The Harmony Art Festival, West Vancouver, BC, Canada

2023 - BAM Arts Festival, Bellevue WA, USA

2023 - North Van Arts, “Art In The Garden,” North Vancouver, BC Canada