DONNA CHIEVES DEMONSTRATES HER VERSATILITY

Top: Oil painting of the course at the Gadsden Country Club by Donna Chieves.

Bottom: Pen and ink with watercolor rendering of the club house, Gadsden Country Club, by Donna Chieves.

Donna Chieves demonstrated her versatility at the Southeastern Plein Air Invitational by creating work in oil, pen and ink, and watercolor. At home in Birmingham she paints portraits of people, pets, and homes but she also frequently paints en plein air as she has for the last three events hosted by the Gadsden Museum of Art.

At this year’s event Donna impressed everyone with her pen and ink drawings of architectural subjects like the First National Bank in Attalla (now Wells Fargo Bank) and the Gadsden Country Club. Mastering perspective is one of the most challenging skills required of artists and one that Donna demonstrates to perfection. But she is equally adept at atmospheric and colorful landscapes that capture the beauty of a spring day.

Donna is both academically and artistically talented. She has a B.A. in Art from the University of Montevallo, a B.S. from Oglethrope University, has studied at the Atlanta College of Art and Georgia State University, and frequently takes part in workshops. Donna found ways to combine academics and art with study abroad. She spent a year in Paris studying at the Sorbonne, soaking up the ambience of one of the great cities for art appreciation, and painting. After winning a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to India she again combined travel, education, and painting. Not content to always be a student, Donna also teaches painting at the Arceneau Art Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a member of the Alabama Plein Air Artists and Oil Painters of America.

Donna's paintings and drawings are currently on display in the galleries of the Gadsden Museum of Art through June 3.