MARIE DONATO
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A Little Boy's Joy When He Sees His Own Portrait

12/2/2019

 
It's not just the grownups who get excited at a portrait reveal.
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Adorable twin boys had so much fun seeing portraits of themselves for the first time. Their reaction was full of joy. This little guy recognized himself immediately. I was amazed we caught their delight on camera! So cute!!
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His brother's reaction was equally adorable.
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It was a happy experience for all.
Contact Marie to commission a portrait of your child.

Drawing and Sketching at Heartland Art Club (formerly OA Gallery)

3/11/2019

 
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People are often curious as to how a portrait starts and progresses. Sometimes I'll show video clips of a portrait progression on Facebook. I also like to sketch live so that people who might be interested in a portrait can watch a little bit of the process. As part of the team at OA Gallery I have the opportunity, sometimes to sketch while at the gallery.  It's a great perk and fun way to catch up on some portrait drawings. Stop by the gallery for a visit.

Contact Me to find out when I'll be at the gallery next.

Oil Portrait Painting

1/13/2018

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​A constant love of mine, and an almost lost love, is oil painting, but I am happy to share with you now, that OIL is back in my repertoire and I am loving it!

This portrait commission painting was the catalyst to get my can in gear.  Such an adorable face was my challenge!  I was so taken by the quality of her soft, young, porcelain-like skin.  I knew that achievement would be the goal as well as captivating those beautiful blue eyes.

You may be wondering why oil painting seemed almost lost. Well...when I started my professional painting career my art studio was directly off my bedroom. The problem was a practical one, using oils and turpentine or mineral spirits then - was quite smelly. There are much improved products available now.

So I went the watercolor route for my career, then followed by adding pastel painting.   I have enjoyed teaching and sharing what I've learned in both watercolor and pastel. 
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Oil painting is once again in my studio and I've since added oil painting lessons to my classes offered. Learn more about my art class information page.
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If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, call Marie, 314-409-7740.  For more information on Marie's portraits check out the FAQ page below.
Portrait Questions




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MAC: Sports PERSONALITY of the year portraits

1/8/2018

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MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB
​SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR PORTRAITS

To honor each recipient, the MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB has a portrait drawing created of the Sports Personality of the Year.

As a professional artist, I am thankful and honored to be creating the Sports Personality of the Year Portraits for the MAC!! Thank you very much to the Missouri Athletic Club for giving me this opportunity.
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Vladimir Tarasenko
MAC Sports Personality of the Year
​2016
Since 1970, sports fans have been gathering at the Missouri Athletic Club to honor the annual Sport's Personality of the Year.  
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The MAC Sport’s Perso
nality of the Year Dinner, was created by Jack Buck who acted as Master of Ceremonies for the first 32 dinners. The  event is now in his name.

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The list of some past recipients are: Bob Gibson (1970), Whitey Herzog (1982), Jackie Joyner-Kersey (1988), Brett Hull (1990) and Kurt Warner (2000)... to Vladimir Taresenko (2016) and Yadier Molina (2017). 
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VLADIMIR TARASENKO
MAC Sports Personality of the Year
​2016
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YADIER MOLINA
MAC Sports Personality of the Year
​2017
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portrait on toned paper

7/6/2017

 
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Sign up for ​Marie's Art Class information for future classes offered.

I Love Drawing Video

1/25/2017

 
Here are recent drawing videos that were taken as I was finishing up the portrait details.  I wanted to share with you my love for drawing today.

​These drawings were completed on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper.   To finish these portraits I used General's charcoal and graphite pencil along with powdered graphite.  The most exhilarating part of my job as an artist is getting those beautiful eyes looking back at me!  I truly love being a portrait artist and am very thankful to God that I am able to be an artist.

If you have any questions just let me know.  Thank you for watching.  
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Have a great day!

"Alfayiz"  Equestrian Portrait

4/27/2016

 
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"Alfayiz", Pastel on board, 20" x 18"

​"Alfayiz", is a beautiful Thoroughbred, with a racehorse heritage.  His name means "Champion".   Recently I was commissioned to paint the portrait of this handsome horse.  It was my pleasure.

​Here is his story, shared by his owner:
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"To say that Alfayiz is the love of my life is almost an understatement.  It was truly a blessing from God that we found each other and I am so grateful to have him in my life every single day.

When I first met Alfayiz, he had fallen on some rough times.  His owner had lost his job and his home, could not afford to feed the ten horses that he had, but also could not find new homes for them. This lead to all of the horses, including Alfayiz, being fed very poorly for about two years.

Although from first glance he was not a lot to look at (skin and bones, matted mane down past his shoulder, dreaded tail) I fell in love with his spirit and personality immediately. Although he did not have the strength to trot or canter well, he gave it all he had and I knew that we would make a wonderful pair. Just a few days later, he came with me on my new journey from Illinois to Kentucky and we began our path to recovery. It took about a year of walking the beautiful rolling bluegrass hills and then another six months of trotting but we finally made it to a nice healthy figure and have never looked back.

A few years after we came to Kentucky, I learned that he had actually been sold at Keeneland as a yearling to a sheik for $500,000.

Since that time, we have done just about everything together. The property that we are on is 75 acres and we are blessed to have 300 acres behind the property to ride on. Our favorite things to do are hacking around in a big field, playing in streams, and the occasional cross country course. He is truly my best friend and I do not know what I would do without him. 
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Thank you so much, Marie, for the beautiful pastel portrait painting of him, it is beyond stunning and I will cherish it for many years to come!"



Cat Portrait Painting

3/14/2016

 
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Gustopher, Pastel, 13"x15"

​ Meet "Gustapher"!
When I work on a portrait commission, there is this funny connection thing that starts to happen, especially after I get the likeness in the eyes and they are staring back at me.  I start to feel a connection with the person, or in this case very cute kitty!    As I'm painting I find myself  wanting to learn more about them and their personality.  So I thought it would be fun to find out more about Gustapher and share his fun facts with you.

Gustapher was adopted from a shelter as a kitten.  He had to be such an adorable puff of orange fur!  His mom/owner says he is an only 'fur' child.  Gustapher was named after the chubby mouse in the Disney movie Cinderella.  So of course his nickname, as in the movie, is Gus-Gus.  He likes to sleep under the covers at nightime and then on top of shoes in the daytime.

Gus is a professional mouse hunter as well as red-dot hunter! Oh yes his best friend is a black Lab named Remmy.  What a pair they must make!  Lastly he loves going to the vet--everyone spoils him there.

A favorite color of his mom's is Tiffany Blue which became the inspiration for the background!   So what better choice to give Gus than a lush blue background that complements his beautiful orange coloring so nicely and makes his cute freckles pop...(three on his pink nose)!

You may know me more as a figurative artist that primarily paints portraits of people; which I love to do.   Capturing a likeness looking back at me is thrilling and a challenge!  The same enjoyment comes with painting the beauty of animals; horse, dog or cat portraits always make me smile!  Painting this pastel cat portrait was no exception.  Thank you Gustapher!
 


Dog Portrait Painting

2/1/2016

 
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"Oxford" Pastel 14" x 11"
Meet Oxford!
His portrait was a fun one for me! I couldn't help but give him a bright contemporary background.  It seemed to match his personality and his debonair red bowtie.  What better way to show off his handsome black and white markings?!
Oxford is an adopted 3 yr. old Wirehaired Terrier Mix who loves having all his friends come over to play. Then for his quiet time he loves watching squirrels and looking for sunlight reflections.  Oh and he is a super snuggler!   :)
The portrait's contemporary look suits his owners, too.  They are a very cute young couple who lovingly call their scruffy little guy "Ox"!  This was a Christmas gift that was commissioned for them by a sweet friend.

Pastel on UArt 400 
14" x 11"

Portrait of Bob Costas

9/14/2015

 
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When it is time to deliver a finished portrait, often there will be an unveiling celebration.  Well, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy a very special unveiling party for Mr. Bob Costas! 

​The opportunity to paint sports celebrity figures is always fun, but this was an extreme honor to paint a very special portrait of Mr. Bob Costas.  The portrait was in honor of the Costas Cancer Center and Mr Costas' dedication to Cardinal Glennon Hospital  

​Thank you Cardinal Glennon for giving me the opportunity. 
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The party was for Mr. Bob Costas celebrating his incredible 26 years of dedication for the Bob Costas Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center.  As a gift and tribute, a portrait was presented to him.

The Costas Cancer Center in Cardinal Glennon Hospital was built and is supported through the Bob Costas Benefit, which has raised millions for cancer care at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. 
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A special thank you to Cardinal Glennon Medical Center and Mr. Bob Costas.

Thank you Suzy Gorman for the use of the selected photos.








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  • ARTWORK
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    • About
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    • STEP-BY-STEP