Welcome
Art that Speaks from the Heart.
From the quiet encouragement of an 8th-grade art teacher in Pennsylvania, Donna’s journey has been one of continual devotion to landscape painting. She explored wood block and linocut printing, paths in graphic design and animation, and finally found her voice in the rich textures of pastel, oil, acrylic and watercolor. Her training under luminary artists such as Robert Bechtle, Paul Pratchenko and Jamie Brunson in the San Francisco-Area gave her technique, but it is the quiet grandeur of nature that stole her heart.
Her home in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, nestled in the Smokies, became a sanctuary of inspiration; the land she honors in paint is not just scenery, it’s memory, presence, and reverence.
When Donna paints, distractions vanish. There is only canvas, brushes, paint, light and the expansive land before her. Her works emerge from a place of intense presence and deep love for the land. In her own words.
Miscellaneous
About Me
Mission
I am committed to creating landscape paintings that are both personal and universal,works that reflect my deep respect for the natural world while inviting viewers into their own contemplative experience. Working primarily in watercolor and acrylic, I seek to capture not just the appearance of a place, but the feeling of being there: the light, the atmosphere, the quiet moments that draw us into the present. Each painting is an invitation to pause, observe, and connect with the enduring beauty of the land.
I’m once again working in oil. In 2005 I moved into a little San Francisco studio overlooking the dramatic Pacific Ocean. At that time I was working on large oil paintings with no access to a separate space to dry the paintings. The fumes got the best of me. Watercolor became my friend. I sold my oil paint.
Once in North Carolina I experimented more often with acrylic, a new media for me, one which I did not appreciate so I spent more time working in watercolor.
.jpg)
