DonnaTheresa came to her current artistic fervor following the first stroke of a soft pastel stick on an ordinary piece of Canson pastel paper in a community college class. DonnaTheresa had been dabbling in drawing classes with a focus on figure drawing from a live model. This particular semester, she was introduced to the world of color through the pastel medium and the obsession grew from there. That was a little over three years ago. Working in the pastel medium started out slowly but has since grown into a daily professional practice.
DonnaTheresa is a fine artist living in Santa Cruz, Ca. Her roots began in Los Angeles where she grew up and lived until 1988. After graduating from nursing school and working for a year in the city of her birth,DonnaTheresa made her exodus and travelled and worked in her field. She practiced her career in nursing for 10 solid years before starting a family. Now the children are grown and off to college andshe finds herself at the easel everyday. Everything is good in the world with a stick of chalk in her hands! Mostly DonnaTheresa is drawn to landscapes but can be inspired by figures and the occasional still life.
DonnaTheresa is mostly self taught . She has taken instruction from master pastelist Marla Baggetta. DonnaTheresa has juried into a number national pastel exhibitions to date and continues to compete at this level as she considers it a way to "step up her game." Viewing life through artist’s eyes has brought great joy her. It is with gratitude that she shares this joy with you.
Artist Statement
As an emerging artist , I am choosing to see my surroundings differently. Whereas before I glimpsed at the face of my loved one or a stranger on the street, an everyday apple or pear, or the hazy hills in the distance, today I see shape, value, texture, movement, and thus emotion and narrative. I imagine how I might render these observations and then I practice.... I do not surrender to the voice of comparison. I carry on in a spirit of curiosity and gratitude that I may find my way. On that journey I ultimately find a part of myself undiscovered.