PEAR SPLASH

There is something so enjoyable about the shape and color of pears. I have given pear assignments to my drawing classes many times and always love the unique results and concepts created by the students. In this painting I particularly enjoyed working with the mixed media/collage approach. I really wanted to give this painting a modernist,retro feel and I enjoyed giving the composition a touch of texture with the variety of materials applied. My teaching certainly has influenced  my work. I have been teaching color drawing and composition. Teaching has made me think more about how to create a successful compostion but always keeping in mind that the most important aspect of any work is the inspiration behind that work. This was simply an exercise in complements and design. Thanks for viewing my blog. this painting is for sale and is already framed. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.

Purple Cabbage II

Purple Cabbage II

18x24 Oil Painting

The purple cabbage contains beautiful nuances in luminosity that prove to be a real challenge to capture. The cabbage is an everyday object that is always viewed below eyelevel never presented at eyelevel and seen for their amazing colors and depth. As I worked on my thesis I was fascinated to read Looking at the Overlooked- Four Essays on Still Life Painting by Norman Bryson. I learned that there actually is a study on the type of still life painting I do -rhopography. Rhopography is the study of still life painting of insignificant or unimportant objects presented as important. I had been doing this all my life and didn't know there was a name for it! Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Prints are available at fineartamerica.com  http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Storms a Brewin'

Storms a Brewin'

18x24 Oil Painting

In my continuing study of gestural landscape I was playing with the ideas of large simple shapes and simple brushstrokes to define direction and motion. Also, the sharp contrasts of the deep browns to the white billowy clouds add to the drama of the painting.  I had been studying the landscapes of modernist painter Maynard Dixon and I am sure you can certainly see the influences. Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me.

Whimsical Creature

Whimsical Creature

8x10 Mixed Media

I enjoy isolating certain areas of my photographs for my painting compositions. In this painting there were tiny spirals within the cabbage that reminded me of some sort of futuristic snail type creature.  I sometimes enjoy making a painting that is purely for fun. This image looked like a little creature emerging from his organic "cave" and just now emerging into the light. It makes me smile everytime I look at it. What do you see in the shapes? Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me.

Cabbage and a Sunny Day

Cabbage and a Sunny Day

36x36 Mixed Media

I have always loved the concept used in the still life genre of rhopography meaning still life's of unimportant objects presented at a level of importance or at eye level. With this still life of the cabbage the viewer is invited to view the lowly cabbage larger than life and exhibited at a height which appreciates all the lush detail, color and shape that rarely magnified upon. Georgia O'Keefe often talked about expressing the spiritual essence of the animals or plants she portrayed. I enjoy presenting that same idea in my work. Thanks for viewing my blog! If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Prints of this painting are available at Fineartamerica.com , http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all,

Curly Kale

Curly Kale

20x36 Mixed Media

The undulating leaves of  purple kale make me think of a dancer's swirling skirt swaying with her movements. I intended for the composition to control the viewer's eye in and out of the swirling forms. This painting was one in a series completed for my thesis show. I played with various design systems within the book by Jay Hambidge and the concepts of dynamic symmetry. I taught myself a lot about composition while working on my thesis. There is not enough emphasis put on composition in the schools, it is much more about expression.  Thanks for viewing my blog! If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Prints of this painting are available at Fineartamerica.com , http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Habitat

Habitat

12x36 Mixed Media

 I took a section of a photograph  I took and created a painting that reminded me of a habitat for some tiny creature on the forest floor. If you notice the small dark opening on the upper left third of the painting, surely something resides there.

 I like the way this painting is organic abstraction in that the subject is unrecognizable from what the original photograph is that of some decaying cabbage leaves. I experimented with creating luminosity through the use of the white of the paper in this mixed media abstract. Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Prints are available at fineartamerica.com ,

Greenscape

Greenscape

24x36-Mixed Media

This painting also 

  This painting also explores areas within photographs taken of the various cabbages I was using for my still life series. I sought to present areas as studies in light and shadow which create dynamic compositions and become a dynamic design and not readily recognizable as anything but organic form.

  In this painting I isolated the areas which seemed to make a sensuous sort of landscape complete with archways and figurative shape. I liked the way the leaves created a sort of otherworldliness inviting it's viewer to another world beyond. Its surrealist landscape makes me think that a being not of this world  might step out of the shadows at any moment in this organic, yet futuristic landscape. Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me. Prints of this painting are available at fineartamerica.com ,    http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Soaring

Soaring

36x52-Mixed Media

In this painting I was exploring areas within photographs taken of the various cabbages I was using for my still life series. I sought to present areas as studies in light and shadow which create dynamic compositions and become a dynamic design and not readily recognizable as anything but organic form.

I really liked the way the spines of the cabbage gave the impression of aerial landscapes. The undulating edges of the leaves on the right created an opening which when casting its shadow reminded me of two birds joining their beaks together in unison and creating and endless oval below. I thought this a very powerful image so it was worthy of a painting. The dark blue green which recedes against the leaves edges reminds me of a far away vanishing field. I really liked the way this composition gives one a sense or height and flying. Thanks for viewing my blog. If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me.

Landscape In Blue

Landscape In Blue

36x48 Oil

This is another in my landscape series that seeks to convey the expression of the landscape rather than a realistic depiction. George Inness the great luminist and forerunners of abstract expression sought to do this in his fabulously expressive work.  One of my favorite painting of Inness is  Home of the Heron, 1893  the painting is a great example of this. One can practically hear the wings of the heron flapping as it takes off at the end of the day as the sunsets. Thanks for viewing my blog. Prints of this painting are available at Fineartamerica.com , http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Composition In Purple and Green

Composition In Purple and Green

36x48 Oil on Linen

I have experimented extensively with abstract landscapes. The inspiration for this particular painting comes from the water reflections and tree line beyond the water that I look at everyday. Especially in the evening the colors are mesmerizing.  This image was a bit life changing for me so it will always be a part of me as an artist.

When I first tried to capture the image of the water, reflections and the incredible colors created at sunset, I realized that unless it was conveyed in abstract form it would not convey the expression felt when experiencing it. I hope you visit my blog often this image will appear in a myriad of colors and shapes. Thanks for viewing my blog. Prints of this image are available at Fineartamerica.com ,http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

30x46

I wanted to express the passion one feels when experiencing the intense colors of the tropics. The undulating petals of the red hibiscus create a very sensuous rhythm of values inviting the viewer to imagine themselves somewhere tropical with a warm breeze and the taste of the sea coming to mind. Large fields of red are always such a pleasure to render. In this painting the red pastels are almost like paintings with fire they are so intense and expressive, one of my favorite mediums. Thanks for viewing my blog. Prints are available at fineartamerica.com, http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all,

Magnolia

Magnolia

8x8 Acrylic

The  magnolia flowers  white  petals are so fleshy  and reflective. They create the most beautiful myriad of shadows in their convex and concave sculptural shapes. The deep, lush, leathery, forest green foliage is also very sculptural in its forms. I wanted to create a play with abstraction of form against the realistic rendition of the flower. When I painted this piece I was thinking of the feeling I get when I see the first magnolias of spring and the smell of their indescribable soft scent is anticipated. I hope when you view this painting  you can appreciate the dappling of sunlight on the petals that I intended. Prints of this painting are available at fineartamerica.com http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all, Thanks for viewing my blog.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise

2"x3"- Acrylic

This little painting inspired by the incredible view from Chateau, Lake Louise whichshows Lake Louise in the summer. I sought to convey the incredible, frigid, turquoise glacial water and all its beauty to my viewer. This composition experiments with triangle shapes and backlit coloring to control the eye of its audience. Notice how your eye goes directly to the sunny snow bank beyond the dark tree line beyond Lake Lousie. All this is achieved thorough the compostion and play of contrast dark against light, light against dark. Thanks for viewing my blog. For purchasing information please contact me- donnapage7@gmail.com

Rockfall

Rockfall

14 x 36 Pastel

This painting was inspired from a photo taken at a national park outside of Banff, Canada. The river ran at the bottom of a deep gorge that had been eroded over thousands of years. The  walk along the gorge inspired me to try to capture all the wonderful textures and depths I perceived along the way. If you count there are six different depth of field within the painting. The illusion of 3-D fascinates me and is something ever present in my work. With this painting the idea of high contrast and dark against light, light against dark is applied back and forth. I love the way the darks draw the eye into the picture and controls the eye. Thank-you for viewing my blog. Prints of this painting are available at FineArtAmerica.com , http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all,

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

5x7 Acrylic

Another of my wildflower series is this little morning glory painting. The painting is done from a photo taken in New Mexico where colors are always more intense and it is just my desire as a painter to convey those intense colors through the limitations of paint. As with all my still life paintings I enjoy bringing to the viewer front and center objects usually organic that are often overlooked and not really presented for the singular beauty in for example a single morning glory. Thanks for viewing my blog. Prints of this painting may be purchased at FineArtAmerica.com , http:fineartamerica.com/art/alldonna+page/all

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet

20x36 Acrylic

In keeping with the wildflower theme I wanted to paint a Bluebonnet. These wildflowers are certainly dramatic when the fields along Texas highways are blanketed with their intense blue in early spring. However, I have seen very few paintings that show the unique beauty of an individual bloom presented at eye level. I venture to say few lover's of wildflowers have ever actually looked at a bluebonnet. The blooms have so many delicate nuances of color that I find them fascinating. In my painting I really wanted one to feel as though they were a bee honing in on one bloom in a field of blooms! Thanks for viewing my blog. For purchasing print information please go to FineArtAmerica.comhttp://fineartamerica.com/art/all/donna+page/all

Purple Thistle

Purple Thistle

20x30- Acrylic

This painting of the purple thistle wildflower also has a evening tone to it. I really love the drama it creates. I had been wanting to paint a purple thistle for a long time but knew all the needles would be a challenge. The thistle is another organic still life I like to concentrate on because I think the overlooked insignificant wildflowers have such exquisite beauty and are often unappreciated. I have several more thistle paintings in mind....just not enough hours in the day! Thanks for viewing my blog. Prints of this painting are available at Fine Art America.com

Evening Iris

Evening Iris

20x30- Oil Painting

In this painting I am continuing my series of still life florals depicting moonlit and flowers at dusk.

My paintings of the night blooming cereus flower initiated my interest in flowers blooming in evening and night. The night blooming cereus only blooms at night and often goes unseen because one must be outside and looking for it in the late evening to ever catch a glimpse of the cactus plant blooming. The idea of the luminous white petals against a night sky and the silvery tones it creates captivate me. I am inspired by the works of many of the early storybook illustrators such as Maxfield Parrish (A Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics) and Kay Nielsen (East of the Sun, West of the Moon) to name a few.

Thanks for viewing my blog. For purchasing information please contact me @ donnapagefineart.com

Cactus Arboreal Aureolis

The barrel cactus set against the suggestion of a dreamlike night sky remind me of the Alaskan night skies referred to as the arboreal aureolis. The flowers seeds float into the evening sky suggesting birth and new life. The idea of painting moonlit flowers continue to captivate me. Stay tuned I am currently undertaking a series of white moonlit flowers. Thanks for viewing my blog.