About The Artist
Fine Art Artist Donna Miller-Haggerty
My mother often said that as a youngster I preferred to draw pictures in the sandbox while my peers were playing in the playground. My earliest memories of art was the pleasing scent of wintergreen as I enjoyed pasting together noodles and string to make collage. When I was a pre-teen, my mother nurtured my interest by enrolling me into oil painting classes. I remember looking forward to Saturdays where I covered my clothes with more paint than the canvas. Those lessons gave me a foundation in mixing colors and creating depth using lights and darks.
Oil Painting made at age 12.
My Background
I grew up in West Los Angeles and then later moved to the Bay Area where I obtained a Liberal Studies degree in Art and Education from JFK University. During those years, I worked part time as a pre-school teacher while I went to collage. To help pay for school I entertained children as a clown magician. I have some funny stories about those days....I got a little tired of having my nose squeaked so I progressed to face painting with my mother and selling our crafts in street fairs.
Learning to paint quickly on kids who were squirming and chewing gum helped me acquire a knack for the loose impressionist style I often like to paint. My degrees lead to many years of teaching. I've enjoyed sharing my passion and knowledge of art to all ages from pre-school through adults.
When I was teaching art classes out of my Livermore Studio, the success lead me to start my own Sip and Paint classes. I wanted to be different so I designed acrylic paintings on wine bottles. For the past few years I have been teaching workshops for wineries in the bay area and soon in Los Angeles. For more information about these events CLICK HERE
Me as Buttons The Clown
Artists That Influence Me
I recall being a teen at my fathers apartment for weekly visits where I would lay on the carpet and examine the pictures in his "Time Life Library Of Art" book collection. The artist's that kept my interest were Van Gogh, Gaugin, Seurat and Cezanne. I was Intrigued by the bright colors and their impressionistic style. In my oil painting classes I was taught to copy. However, observing these masters who used different colors and loose brushwork has influenced my art.
I would now categorize my style Eclectic Expressionism. I strive to make artwork that is an expression of me rather than an exact duplicate of what I see. As a mixed media artist, I enjoy exploring various art materials and new ways to use them.
My Impressionist Oil Painting from 1969
Why do I paint
The last words my mother spoke to me was, "You are such a great artist."
I hear her loving words of encouragement everyday. When I create art, I loose myself in the process; it heals my heart and soul. It's always seems magical to me to apply colors and shapes and watch them transform into an image. I usually start with a reference either from my surroundings or a photo. As the piece progresses it often changes into something different, sometimes having a mind of it's own. It's the experimenting with the spontaneity of mingling paint that beckons me; this is the creative process that I truly love.
I currently live in Palm Desert where I've enjoyed being involved in a very active art community.
Putting in the details in Watercolor