Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

Inspiration from Artists Wk 204 Featuring Artist: Donna Young and Simon Dolby .

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Showing page 1 of 4
Author
Message
IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Welcome to this weeks Inspiration thread the featuring artist this week are : Donna Young and Simon Dolby. Jenny will open the week with her  introduction to  Donna Young on Wednesday I will introduce you to the art of Simon Dolby . Enjoy your week and enjoy your art. 

Edited
by Paul (Dixie) Dean

Jenny Harris

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 4707
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1898
Posted
Paul, if you remember, we changed it to Donna Young as Andrew had already covered Jackie Morris.  Can you please update the header and I’ll add write up later this evening.  Thanks.

Edited
by Jenny Harris

IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Sorry Jenny I foolishly used the original handwritten list not the amended one , all sorted .

Jenny Harris

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 4707
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1898
Posted
DONNA YOUNG (born 1954) is an American artist, known for her vibrant, contemporary oil paintings on canvas.  She studied at Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle where she graduated in commercial illustration. She began painting at the age of four after losing her hearing aged three, although she did later partially regain it.  She made the best of her visual world by learning to read lips and body language.  The subtle messages people display play an important part in her figure drawing. She worked within the structure of the commercial art world for some years,  but maintained her free expression in the world of fine art.  Her unique style is influenced by the many different cultures and techniques she has been exposed to throughout her career.  For her paintings - some as large as 4ft x 3ft - she uses thick impasto combined with thin glazes. “After so many years of realistic painting I have gradually been moving into a more contemporary style.  I found it simply a matter of giving myself permission to unlearn my past ways of seeing and interpreting, although ‘permission’ may not be the best term.  Nonetheless, I allowed myself to fall as long as I got up again.”

Edited
by Jenny Harris

IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Thank you for the excellent introduction Jenny , she is a very skilled artist, looking forward to seeing more of her work.

Tessa Gwynne

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8451
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 3422
Posted
Beautiful work, I love it! I wasn’t sure if these were oils but just checked her website and they certainly are. I have chosen a few of what she calls her waterscapes. Thanks Jenny, another great choice.

Edited
by Tessa Gwynne

My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
I like this artist's work very much.  I'm seeing something akin to art nouveau, where a figure is surrounded by motifs and shapes, Donna's work uses more modern and stylised shapes with her figures.  It's decorative art.  That's a plus for me, it's pleasingly vibrant.  She composes her work very well. Her work seems to be mostly oils, apparently she does watercolour too, this painting (below) is posted on facebook as a watercolour.  I'm not sure it is.  No matter.
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
The more I look at Donna's work the more I like it.  If I had more walls...and more money...I'd be very pleased to have her work on my walls.  I'd choose two from Jenny's first selection, although I'm spoilt for choice. This one reminds me of Alphonse Mucha's work...the famous art nouveau artist.  Often he gave his subjects stylised hair...sometimes dubbed 'spaghetti hair'.  In the painting above the hair is treated in a similar way.  But it's no copy, Donna has made it entirely her own.  And I like the pleasing circular composition. The abstract art I like the most is the geometric kind.  Donna has used a loose form of that in the background of this painting.  It works so well and the figure is very well painted. This series has thrown up some excellent artists, for me, this is one of the best.  (always a personal thing, of course).  This will be going on my POL studio wall.  Great find Jenny.
IMG_8857

Marjorie Firth

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8041
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2435
Posted
Oriental in feel to me, and very beautiful.

Jenny Harris

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 4707
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1898
Posted
I was interested to see what others would make of her work.  I absolutely love it, great sense of design, beautiful colours - and, like Lewis, I think it’s one of the best this series has thrown up (in fact, for me, probably the best).  There are still such amazing artists out there to be found!

Edited
by Jenny Harris

My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
Just noticed something.  Above I chose two paintings from Jenny's first posts I'd have on my wall, in fact one I showed was different (but similar).  Here are the two together, on the left the one Jenny chose... ...she's revisited the concept.  Same girl, different treatment, pose etc.  Either one will suit me, thanks very much.
IMG_1547

Russell Edwards

  • Forum Expert
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 499
Posted
Definitely one of the very best artists featured here. Wonderful work.
Showing page 1 of 4