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Donna Harkins
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When Donna describes her studio space, it is "comfortably cluttered with too many frames, canvases, books, supplies and props," which are words that could easily describe any space that has been occupied by the same person for over 25 years. That space for Donna is located in The Button Factory in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a renovated 1895 factory which is now the home of several artists' studios. The floor to ceiling windows, the north light, her cat Hannah and being surrounded by other artists inspires her to paint, paint and paint some more. And paint she does - full time.
Donna received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Fine Art in painting from Ohio University. During her student days and for years afterwards, Donna was part of the art festival circuit painting portraits, sometimes up to 50 per day. She now devotes her time and effort to herself, full- time in her studio with occasional art shows thrown in for diversion. She can have as many as 20 canvases in process at the same time.
Donna paints with oils on wood and canvas using very traditional oil painting techniques. When she admires the work of a certain great artist, she will experiment with his or her style and technique and eventually incorporate it into her own style. This experimentation and devotion to a specific theme or style is what fuels her. "I'm interested in painting, that's all," says Donna. Donna has won numerous awards for her artwork, most recently the Visual Artist of the Year for the 11th Annual Spotlight Awards by Seacoast Magazine.
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