Donna Atkins is a New Zealand artist who creates paintings inspired by her surroundings and the beauty of New England. Her artwork has been referred to as "New England style primitives" since she reflects the old beauty of the country, including the ocean, pastures, different seasons, old homes, among many other subjects. Donna has always created artwork collaged with words while at the same time portraying a longing for “simpler times.” Donna has enjoyed drawing for many years, painting on different subjects and always trying to express positivity through her artwork. She didn’t get into painting until 1994 when all her children were already going to school; at least then she would get some time to spare for painting. Since she didn’t have any formal training then, she decided to get a few lessons in acrylics and soon after she was right on track painting her heart out.
Donna made her paintings from the comfort of her home, ensuring that she applied the knowledge she acquired from her training, spicing it up with her creativity. In the process, she developed her unique style of folk art that expresses her inner feelings and emotions best. Her artwork pieces are exhibited in different galleries and are featured in a number of collections in New Zealand, the US, and a host of other places. Donna feels she owes it all to her family that has always stood by her side, encouraged her when she was in doubt, and provided the much needed moral support to keep her going. Because of them she has been able to make her artistic dreams come to fruition.
