| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: |
My passion for art has been a part of me ever since I can remember. I was drawing and painting at quite a young age and when I was old enough, I started art classes at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. At that time Arthur Lismer was the director of the school, and I will always remember him coming into the studio to see the students work. A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend six months in Paris, where I informally studied art, completing many sketches, taking photographs and gathering material for my work.
The landscape has greatly influenced my work. I love to paint the rural landscapes as much as I enjoy painting street scenes.
My work has been included in various juried shows throughout the country as well as solo exhibitions. They are included in many collections including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the University of Alberta Children's Hospital. I have been an artist-in-residence at the Arctic Institute in the Yukon, the Leighton Center, Columbia Icefields, Num-Ti Jah Lodge and most recently the Banff Centre.
My paintings are about the rhythm and soul of my subject. It is an exploration of shape, contour, line and texture, the very basics of art and imagery. The spirit of the land, or the still life comes with me into my studio and is translated onto the canvas. I photograph and sketch on site and then use these as a stepping stone onto the canvas.
Once I have established the contour and outline of the shapes I plan to use, I put the photograph away. From here I work intuitively. My response to the landscape, as I have experienced it, comes through with my use of strong color and bold shapes. This is an intuitive response to where I have been - the top of the world, the depths of the valley or the streets of a small village.
I now paint in oils after many years of working in acrylics. I enjoy the fluidity, the movement and sensuousness of the paint on the canvas. I still work in acrylic and now use a Polymer medium mixed in with the acrylic paint to increase the flow and lengthen the drying time as well as enhance gloss. I also enjoy experimenting with layers of textured canvas, using various varnishes and other oil painting techniques depending on my subject.
Tatianna M. O'Donnell
www.tatiannaodonnell.com
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