Donna Bernstein

‘When a neighbor brought horses into my world, I would sit for hours entranced by their simplest movements, overjoyed at the living, breathing animal before me. I would run home and soon find myself putting their energy into sketches, drawings and paintings.’ The central theme of my art is an intimate expression of the horse – its form, freedom and movement in various stages of complexity. My technique has been evolving since I was a child when images of horses, first from books and then from life, became imprinted and bonded with my creative self. The evolution of a signature artistic style began - identifiable and enigmatic as the horse itself. My mediums are inks and acrylics, oils, pastels and crayons on canvas, cold pressed water paper and other surfaces. Brushes, calligraphy pens, pallet knives and very often my fingertips are the tools of my expression. My clay works and sculpture convey the same nuances of this relationship. Influences most impacting my work are Bonheur, Degas, illustrator Paul Brown, as well as O’Keefe, Franz Marc and Picasso. As my art has matured, growing in complexity and often in size, my essential vision remains the same - form and movement, style and balance. These are the elements that appear in my abstract works as well. Bio Donna Bernstein was born in rural New York, about forty minutes north of Manhattan, the second of seven children. Self taught from the age of seven, she later studied during summers with artist Robert Dash in the art colony town of Nyack, NY. In high school she held her first one-woman show in the lobby of a local theatre and sold three pieces. This early success fed a passion for art. She studied privately during the summers with artist Robert Dash in the art colony town of Nyack, New York. Later, at Hollins College in Virginia on a creative and writing scholarship, she expanded her knowledge of art and art history, and after college worked in advertising, graphics and real estate management. Throughout she continued to draw and paint from life and her surroundings, supplemented with studies in Japanese ink work and brush techniques. In 1998 Donna and her husband moved to McCall, Idaho, and began marketing her art to numerous shows and galleries throughout the country. Studying technique at the Boise Art Museum Donna began to sculpt, and found this was second nature for her. An early piece, “Buck”, created for The National Ability Center of Park City, Utah, was purchased by the Bronfman family at auction and donated to the Center’s permanent collection. Her second casting, “Gosling”, was chosen by the sitting state Governor Butch Otter for his office, and is part of the Governor’s Collection at the state Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Donna’s work combines vivid colors, dynamic forms, and a timeless subject in a signature style. Her personal blend of brushes, palettes knives, inks and paint, create art that is modern and dynamic; bold, yet identifiably intimate. Further details are available at www.donnabart.blogspot.com. Feel free to contact Donna at 208-861-4331 Selected Recent Events: Woodriver Cellars Winery, Eagle, ID Hampton Classic, Bridgehampton, NY Galerie Bel Age, Westhampton Beach, NY Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT Wood River Valley Medical Center (St.Luke’s) Permanent Collection, Sun Valley, ID “Ferrari’s and Fired-Up Horses,” Annona / Manhattan Motorcar, Westhampton, NY Featured Artist, Boise City Arts Commission, Boise, ID “Horses in Art”, Lynda Anderson Gallery, Locust Valley, NY Celebration of the Belmont Stakes, Garden City Hotel, Garden City, NY “Iron Horses”, Lone Star Park, Dallas, Texas KREISS Collection, Manhasset, NY Grand National Celebration of Western Art, San Francisco, California Idaho First Bank Corporate Collection, Idaho Garden City Hotel, BELMONT CELEBRATION, Garden City, New York National Ability Center, "Starry Night Gala", Park City, Utah OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR COLLECTION, Statehouse, Boise, Idaho ARTICLES/Press: September, 2009 Artist Interview with "The Equinest" http://www.theequinest.com/donna-bernstein/ August, 2008 The Southampton Press, Arts & Entertainment, Feature August, 2008 Dan's Papers, Hamptons Style October, 2006 PHELPSSPORTS.com, Artist Feature, "The Equine Art of Donna Bernstein" April, 2006 Idaho Statesman, Press Release, "Boise City Arts Commission, Boise Airport Art" January, 2006 "Boise Weekly, Cover Art November 2004 "McCall Magazine", Feature Article August 2004, "Horses in Art" Magazine Feature, "The Beauty of Bronze" June 2004, Equine Art Guild, "Behind the Easel" Feature Interview November 2002 Equitana Brisbane Official Program, Australia Feature "Blue Cloud" December 2001 "Getting to Know You - Art & Passion" Feature Article, Long Valley Advocate, Idaho February 2000 "Idaho Horse Fair", Signature Art CONTRIBUTIONS and Causes: Black Card Circle Foundation, California National Ability Center, Park City, Utah US Pony Clubs, NY American West 4D Barrel Racing Series, Blackfoot, Idaho Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID Idaho Foodbank, “Artists Against Hunger”, Boise, ID Arkwild, Inc., Abaco Wild Horse Fund, Bahamas Redwings Horse Sanctuary, California McPaws, Animal Welfare Fund, McCall, ID McCall Community Assn., McCall, ID Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Amaryllis Horse Rescue Fund, Bridgehampton, NY Just World International, Florida Windy Hollow Hunt, NY and Florida Polo Players Support Group, Wellington, FL Boise Weekly Cover Art Auction, Boise, ID McCall Arts & Humanities Council, McCall ID Cody Center for Autism, VOX Art Benefit, Stony Brook NY Idaho Dressage Festival, Boise ID Prior Career Details Board of Director, McCall Arts and Humanities Council, McCall, ID. Board of Director, Vice President, McCall-Donnelly Education Foundation, McCall, ID. Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, N.Y.S. Mark Greenberg Real Estate, V.P. Operations, NY. Account Executive, The Elliott Organization, Pomona, NY.