Donna Downey
Empowering artists to take creative risks and realize their creative potential.
I consider myself to be on a creative journey that continues to surprise me every time I step in front of my canvas. My paintings continue to evolve in style and technique, but one thing stays constant: I am in love with painting the human figure. I use unfinished lines and painterly strokes to express the emotional vulnerability of human existence in everyday life. The impermanence and fragility of life is the essential focus of my work.
I love to experiment with either a monochromatic palette or an explosion of vibrant colors, depending on my mood. The process of applying paint to canvas is an emotional experience for me and I even find it a bit sexy. Exploring the use of shadow and light as a push and pull of interest for the viewer is a constant theme in my art. I often start each painting with a simple concept or idea in mind then I start placing color throughout the canvas, letting the colors intuitively reveal the composition. The paintings develop in response to the energy created between myself and the paint. I use painting as a meditation and I deeply enjoy the never-ending challenge to evoke a particular mood or emotion for the viewer.