 Portfolio of
Donna Ion
View Artist Statement
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Gallery Direct Interview with DONNA ION
Donna uses bold complementary colours to produce powerful images with dramatic impact. Her work has evolved from expressing the local landscapes that she loves in a realistic manner to a much more abstract and interpretive approach.
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Could you tell us when and why you decided to become an artist?
I wouldn't say that there was a conscious decision on my part to become an artist. However, what began as a pastime grew into a satisfying challenge to express subjects in ever more creative ways.
I understand you were a teacher for a number of years, did you take any art courses during the time you were getting your teaching degree?
I didn't take any art courses while getting my teaching degree; however, I started taking them towards the end of my teaching career.
Have your life experiences influenced your work and if so, in what way?
I am sure that every artist's life experiences influence their work. In my case living in beautiful parts of Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia growing up made me feel a strong bond with our unique landscapes. There are also strong ties to France and its artistic treasures where I spent my early school years and where our daughter and grandchildren now live. So I am exposed frequently to the magnificent art history available.
During your career as an artist, who/what has given you the most inspiration?
Inspiration comes to me in so many ways. Art courses, galleries, travel, discussions with other artists. Feedback at art shows is very motivating as I am able to gauge peoples' reactions with what I have personally been trying to realize.
You did a series of work that relate to Dance. Could you tell us what inspired these pieces?
I am very happy with the Dance pieces that I did. They evolved from a course I took and are based on photos of the model. They are among my most realistic works and I feel that the course helped to hone my technical skills. From there it became a matter of letting my technique soften and flow and not be governed so much by the book.
What subject matter do you prefer to paint and why?
I find myself preferring to paint landscapes. Perhaps this is because I live in such a beautiful part of the world with oceans, mountains and coastal forests. I love too that as my work evolves I can let my landscape paintings morph more and more into abstract compositions that have as much to do with colour, light, shapes and space as they do with the actual scene.
When I look at some of your artworks they remind me of the “Group of Seven.” What artist or artists do you relate to most?
Like many Canadian artists, I owe an enormous debt to the Group of Seven, as well as Tom Thomson. The latter in particular was most inspirational. Even as my work has become more abstracted I have tried to remain true to Canadian artistic heritage. Many of my paintings display the Group of Seven's technique of a screen of trees through which the background landscape can be seen. Colour is probably my forte and their use of colour was unsurpassed. But I have also been inspired by other artists from Kandinsky to Miro and Picasso because I wanted to challenge myself to portray the beauty around us in new ways.
What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
My biggest challenge is to keep evolving my style and for me not to stand still. It might be easy to keep doing the same style of painting that is doing well, but there is such a reward in the feeling that you have achieved something new, that I enjoy very much.
What are your favorite pieces of work you have done and why are they your favorites?
Summer Winds on Juan de Fuca was like a breakthrough painting for me, a painting that gave me confidence. I was very happy with all aspects ... composition, brush strokes, colour, as welll as the mood and feeling that it evoked. China Beach Tapestry is another favourite. It is not too abstracted, yet it shows how a relatively simple composition of through the trees screen married to colour and technique can make a nice painting. Circles 3 and 4 are examples of my totally abstract works that I enjoy for their colour and composition. They make you stand back, look and think, which is what I believe art should do. Forest Prism, more recently, I thought was a very pretty and creative painting that showed the rain forest in a slightly mystical way. I am experimenting currently with a lighter palette, softer brush strokes and colour in paintings like A Summer's Day and Falling Blossoms. Concurrently, I have tried a harder edged, abstracted approach to landscape in paintings like Falling Leaves, Forest Renewal and Forest Shadows that I enjoy very much.
Where do you paint and what is your most ideal working atmosphere?
I used to paint in a corner of my living room where there was a wonderful light from the windows. This was too hard on the wood floors, so I have created a nicely appointed studio in the garage.
You have been very successful in a very short time, what advice would you give an artist just starting out.
An artist starting out should paint for themselves. Take courses, learn technique and what you like to paint. Then don't hold back. Don't be satisfied painting like everyone else, find your own way. It is very satisfying.
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