Donna Maree

Magic lines of space and time

Writer Doug Clarke

Doug Clark talks to a landscape painter who brings her own style and geometry to the Northern Beaches.

BALMORAL

In her advice to other artists she meets through her picture framing business, Donna Maree strongly recommends focusing on individual strengths and capabilities: “Be true to yourself and stick to your own style.” And she is successfully following her own mantra, bringing us paintings that present her view of the beauty and glamour of Sydney and the Northern Beaches.

Donna Maree started making art at an early age, following her brother who had a natural talent for drawing. With pencil and paper, she would sketch fig- ures and situations from TV and comic strips. She tried painting at aged 12, but it just wasn’t right at that point in time, and so her focus stayed on drawing for many years.

Old travel posters and films from the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s were the influences that attracted her back into painting. Australian artist James Northfield, a pioneer of vintage travel posters and the British father and daughter duo of Percy and Daphne Padden, mid-19th Century travel poster titans, brought colour, simplicity and mystery to places that connected with Donna Maree.

Her painting has evolved through experimentation with many different styles. Abstract art, portraits, pottery and resin art have all been given a go, and have taken her to where she is today. Smooth geometric landscapes in acrylic paint on a canvas of size 1m x 1m. Giving us entrancing art deco snapshots of beaches life.

Acrylic is her favourite paint: “Always acrylic.” She loves the tactile feel of painting. Digital has been tried, using the “Procreate” app, but was too much of a learning curve and it just doesn’t cut it when compared with brush on canvas.

She paints from her home studio, her own space, where time can disappear.

FAIRY BOWER

Each work starts with a fairly strong idea but can change as she follows her flow. She is a controlled painter who likes symmetry and needs to follow the line. She sees places in her own colours and shapes. Her textures are very smooth, almost screen-print in look. A painting can take up to two weeks to produce with the high level of detail and shading involved.

Donna Maree’s pictures reflect simpler, happy times. She gets her ideas from just walking and looking around, and is spoilt for choice for inspiration from the Northern Beaches. She is currently working on a picture of Dee Why, and a recent visit to Palm Beach has given her an idea for the next painting. This is how she will continue. She is where she wants to be, both in her painting style and in her painting place.