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" How my artwork finds a home is always so amazing to me. Recently I had the pleasure of randomly selecting a winner for my Art Giveaway. There were over 100 names gathered at the Naperville Art Fair. Thank you to all that participated. After the name was selected from the collection box, I sent out my email newsletter announcing the winner. What I didn't expect was receiving this reply email from Beth the winner, and what was revealed in it. Dear Marie, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to receive your email. I was so moved by your artwork at the Naperville Art Show.. You have such a gift. After my partner, Dan and I left the show we kept talking about how much we admired your work. So when Dan called me to say go look at your email...and I found this!!! I cried! I can't thank you enough!!!! As I am battling cancer, your art will now be part of a meditation and healing ritual I do every day, placing myself in a tranquil spot by the water, and visualizing my body healing itself... Warmest regards, Beth Thank you Beth for your email. I truly do believe there is a specific home for every painting or drawing. I am so happy that the pastel painting "Tranquility" has found a very special home with you and will be a Celebration of Life and help you on your journey of healing! I enjoyed this giveaway so much and chatting with Beth! Thank you and best wishes to you Beth. My prayers are with you. I am grateful to have met you. Happy Holidays to you! Upcoming Giveaway The next Art Giveaway will be coming soon. Please Like my Facebook page to get details about when and what the prize will be! The Next Art Giveaway Please follow the upcoming announcements on my facebook page Marie Donato Fine Art. Information on how to enter the next Art Giveaway will be coming soon! Fall/September Art Giveaway News I recently got out of my studio, and traveled up to the Chicago area to exhibit my art! It was a gorgeous Fall weekend at the Naperville Riverwalk Art Fair! I enjoyed meeting so many art-lovers. A special Thank You to my new collectors! It's an honor to have my paintings going to new homes!! Here are some pics of the Riverwalk. Thank you to everyone for signing up for my Newsletter and Art Giveaway! As promised to all that visited my booth......it is time for a special giveaway!!!!! Drumroll please.......The winner of the Naperville Riverwalk Giveaway is ............Beth Katz! Beth will receive this beautiful, pastel riverscape below. As a special bonus this painting is also framed with archival materials! Very Special!! Congratulations Beth! "Tranquility" Pastel Thank you to everyone who participated! As a way to say thank you I will be offering another giveaway very soon! The Next Art Giveaway Please follow the upcoming announcements on my facebook page Marie Donato Fine Art. Information on how to enter the next Art Giveaway will be coming soon! 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. 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. A special thank you to Cardinal Glennon Medical Center and Mr. Bob Costas. Thank you Suzy Gorman for the use of the selected photos. Artists vary in their approach to commissioning a portrait. Here is some information for you about how I proceed with a portrait commission. 1) Time How long does it take to paint a commissioned portrait? Well I'm glad you asked. The time a commission painting takes depends greatly on the scope of work; medium chosen, how much detail, size, etc. Generally speaking it takes about 3 - 4 weeks. As we approach the holidays it gets busy quickly. By November there usually is a backlog into the next year. Since my work is detailed, I don't want to rush on your special holiday gift. If you are reading this after the Christmas deadline, I would love to offer a gift certificate toward a future portrait for your loved one's gift. Then after Christmas we can all talk about what exactly he or she would like for their portrait gift. Sometimes that actually works out better because the recipient can be a part of the decision making, such as the size, what medium, clothing details etc. 2) Deadline In order to complete your portrait on time, my deadline for scheduling is November 1. That will insure that your gift is delivered in time for the holidays. 3) Cost My portraits start at $600 for a charcoal/graphite head & shoulders portrait, as pictured below. Color portraits start at $950 for a head & shoulders portrait (example pictured above). 4) Reference Photos My preference are photos in natural light. No flash please. You can e-mail your photos to me or I can take them if you are local. 5) Shipping Don't worry about shipping - it is free! It all begins with a conversation to start your perfect portrait.
314-409-7740 For more information on commissioning a portrait Sometimes you just need help. About a year ago that meant HELP!( in capital letters) for me with my online presence. After several "professional web designer" mishaps and many diy troubles trying to build a site on my own, I was fortunate to meet Jennifer Suits. Jennifer owns The Art Beacon which is an online Art Marketing and Art Business Coaching company. Jennifer came to my rescue! The Art Beacon's website states, "The Art Beacon exists to provide information, resources, and tools to enable professional artists to grow their art business." And Jennifer and her company did just that!
She provided website information to help me build my own website. She came along side me, to guide and be a sounding board when I ran into a problem. What a huge help that was for me! Jennifer is such an extremely patient person and she is always helpful and professional! The Art Beacon website states, "A solid website is the backbone of any good business' marketing plan. The Internet is the first place people check to learn about an artist's reputation. Successful artists have clean, updated websites." "The Art Beacon provides business and marketing support to allow professional artists to focus more on creating their art, and less time mired in ineffective efforts trying to promote it." If you get a chance, check out the rest of my site and let me know what you think...Or maybe let Jennifer know. Thank you! www.Marie Donato Fine Art Next, I'd love to tackle Search Engine Optimization. Part of what the Art Beacon offers is Search Engine Optimization and Social Networking Solutions for artists. As The Art Beacon states, "An artist's website isn't effective if the right people don't find it. We help artists to promote themselves, increase website traffic and grow their art businesses online." Check out www.theartbeacon.com. Thank you Jennifer. To start, I loosely block in the shapes with pencil and powdered graphite. Here is a step-by step demo showing how I develop a portrait graphite/charcoal drawing. Here, I start to develop the face of the portrait, working toward getting the likeness. Once I feel comfortable with the face, I move down to the hand, arms and shoulders toning in form and capturing the shadow play of lights and darks from the sunlit window. I am using graphite pencils as well as powdered graphite. Here the fabric layers of tulle of the ballerina's dress are developed. For the contrasting darks in the eyes and hair, I am using charcoal pencil. At this stage I am refining and tweaking everything making fine adjustments. To help with the highlights of the skirt I sharpen up the edges of the fabric with an eraser. Here is the finished drawing! Drawing Class Information HereArt ClassesLearning about women artists has always been an inspiration for me. A few years ago, I was fortunate to see an exquisite exhibit, at the St. Louis Art Museum, of Artemisia Gentileschi's extraordinary paintings along side those of her father's paintings. It was an astounding and impressive exhibit. During her lifetime, Artemisia was able to succeed in a male-dominated world, receiving commissions and patronage from Kings and Dukes of the time. Today, Artemisia Gentileschi remains an inspiration, not only for her powerful artwork, but for her ability to overcome the limits and prejudices of her time. July 8, 1593, Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome Italy. She was an Italian Baroque painter, today considered one of the most famous and skilled painters of her time.
Artemisia was centuries ahead of her time. She was among the first women artists to achieve success in the 17th century. She brought to her work a unique perspective that both celebrated and humanized strong women characters. Above is Artemisia's self portrait. I have the best art students! I would like to share a few pics from previous art classes. The sessions are 6 weeks. Beginner and intermediate students are welcome. Choose from Pastel, Watercolor and Drawing Classes. Registration is underway for my next session, July 21- August 27. For more information click here. It is the highest compliment paid when a client chooses to have my artwork in their home. Then to see where and how it's placed in the home is very satisfying! There are many things I am grateful for being an artist. One of the most rewarding is having that opportunity to visit a collector's home to see their chosen artwork hanging on the wall. Art is such an integral part to any room design. Finishes and furniture can be top of the line, but until art is placed, the room just doesn't come together. It definitely has an unfinished feeling as if the room is missing something. That something is the soul of the homeowner. A chosen piece of art reveals a lot about a home as well as what it gives back to the collector everyday.
I am thankful for the opportunity to share my art with collectors and the good fortune to have friendships formed through the love of art! |
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