Donna Duval - A New Path

The traditional landscape paintings of Donna Duval have been joined by an abstract expressionist style that is meeting with rave reviews.

(PRWEB) April 24, 2004 --Donna Duval, artist from Vero Beach, Florida, recently relocated her studio to St. Augustine. Ms. Duval’s current work includes large scale abstracts in oil, and water colours on oversized high plate surface board. Ms. Duval studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Miami and with the painter WOLF KAHN, whose influence is evident in her recent work. Full of light and color, her work is elegant, sensitive, and enhances any setting. Her paintings are in corporate and private collections and have shown at the Center for the Arts/Vero Beach, the Martha Lincoln Gallery/Vero Beach and Long Island, NY, the Norton Gallery School of Art /Palm Beach, Barnett Bank Trust Company /Orlando and West Palm Beach, the Island Gallery/Naples, FL, and elsewhere.

She is a founding member of the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington,DC, and a charter member of the Center for the Arts, Vero Beach.

Ms. Duval describes her work and the recent transition to abstract expressionism in the following interview on April 12, 2004:

CAC: Your traditional oil landscapes are very peaceful, and somehow you have transferred that feeling to the large absracts.

DD: Thank you. That is the impression I was striving for. It all started by taking just a small corner of one of my landscape paintings and enlarging it - keeping it in abstract form so that it was merely a suggestion of the original realistic painting.

CAC: Is all of your work in oil?

DD: Oil is my medium of choice. It really is the classic medium , but I also work in watercolor. In fact, for the first ten years of my career, I used watercolor exclusively and painted on high plate surface board. It gives a slick and puddled appearance which is perfect for my new abstract work as well.

CAC: Is this style a permanent thing with you?

DD: Yes, in addition to other styles. I get a little miffed when I hear critics and other artists complain about a painter having a variety of styles. Perhaps they should look at a retrospective of many well known artists. Changing and experimenting with your painting permits one to grow; and you don't always have the same muse. I often feel that a painter who paints in the same way, using the same colors year in and year out does so because of success - not necessarily because of the love of painting for painting's sake. Many people walk away from abstract art claiming they don’t understand it. It has a reputation for what seems to be accident or chance. But I can assure you that once the concept has begun and you start placing the paint onto the canvas, the work is highly planned. I like the interest that the large canvases generate, and like to think of the color as the subject matter.

CAC: I once asked another artist how long it took him to paint a painting and he answered, "my whole life." Is that how you feel?

DD: I think he probably meant that our experiences bring us to a certain point and level of expertise, and that all of the things we see and feel contribute to the success of our work. Restraint plays a very important role; and even though much about art is a learned process, aptitude also plays a definite role. I feel very fortunate to have the talent to be successful, and have felt this way ever since I sold my first painting in 1979.

CAC: And what about your creative process? Do you have any secrets to share with aspiring artists?

DD: As with most things, the real secret is hard work. I admit that it does get easier as time goes by and you gain confidence. But I still try to have fun developing my palette and refining my styles.

CAC: What artists have influenced you over the years?

DD: Initially it was the great watercolorist, Joseph Raffael. Then I would have to say Wolf Kahn, and the works of Pierre Bonnard for the renowned color-sense. For my traditional landscape work, I was influenced by the early work of Thomas Aquinas Daly and Russell Chatham.

CAC: Finally, what are your goals for the future?

DD: I will continue to develop these abstract paintings, but will not give up on documenting the land. Florida farmland and marshland is disappearing rapidly. I have plans to start a river series soon - and my inspiration is around every corner here in Duval and St. Johns County. Also, I feel it is important to give back to the community and I will continue to donate a painting or two a year to a worthy cause for fund-raising auctions and so forth. Whatever I do, I will strive to improve my work and add to my portfolio in a manner that brings pride to my career and to the profession.

TO CONTACT THE ARTIST FOR SLIDES OR TRANSPARENCIES, TELEPHONE 904.399.4090