Upper Lake >> Some of the most famous painters of the last couple hundred years have come out of France: Monet, Manet, Degas. Van Gogh was Dutch, but after moving to France and discovering the Impressionists there, his style grew into something bright and fully realized. So when it came time to take her artwork up a notch, Tamsen Donner’s obvious choice was an art school in France.
At 19 years old, she packed her bags for Aix-En Prodence, a school in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in southern France, the birthplace and home of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne. She spent a year and a half living, learning and painting there before returning to her home in Austin, Texas. She continued to study art in college at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a degree in humanities.
Aix-En Prodence wasn’t her first experience abroad. When she was fifteen, Donner spent a semester at a French boarding school. She described it as a “rough-and-tumble” school where teachers enjoyed boxing children’s ears. Fortunately, the experience didn’t seem leave a bad taste in her mouth.
Donner’s exposure to France was mostly due to her father’s influence. A professor of communication, and a “huge Francophile,” he received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in the country when Donner was just a baby. Her family — mom, dad, and four siblings — spent a year living outside of Paris while he lectured.
As a drawer and sculptor, as well as a professor, Donner’s father also encouraged her artistic growth when she was young. And her mother, though not a visual artist, did write quite extensively. Donner’s three older sisters are each artistic in their own ways. “We had that kind of atmosphere growing up,” she said.
Naturally, Donner’s own artwork — bright, whimsical paintings of birds and other animals, landscapes and kitchen interiors — has been highly influenced by the style of the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. “I admire that kind of looseness,” she said.
She especially looks to “the joy of living that they expressed in their work.”
It’s a message she also hopes to convey in her own artwork. She enjoys painting amusing things, subjects that will put a smile on the viewer’s face, or give them comfort. “I wouldn’t say I’m a provocative or challenging painter that way,” Donner said. Rather, she’s more interested in “basic pleasure and beauty.”
Although Donner had dabbled in oil painting in her youth, it was during her year and a half in France that she really became immersed in the medium. She’s been painting with oils since, favoring it for its forgiveness. Oils give her the ability to experiment with colors, building and layering until they’re exactly the right shade and tone. “It’s definitely more intuitive. It’s obviously just very subjective,” Donner said. “I can just tell if the color is … right or if it’s not right. It looks right one day and then I go back and it’s completely wrong.”
When her art doesn’t feel right, Donner isn’t afraid to paint over work and start again. But this also means she has a difficult time feeling like her paintings are complete. Although she has devoted years to some paintings, she feels her best work comes when she works quickly and calls it a day. The hardest lesson is learning to let imperfections go. “I have overworked lots of pictures,” she admitted.
Often, Donner has to paint nine images before she creates that outstanding tenth piece, and as a result, she’s painted hundreds of pictures over her art career. Thankfully, she’s also had a good deal of shows — both solo and group — in which to display her work.
Her latest show, Tamfoolery, begins tomorrow at Upper Lake Mercantile. There will be an art reception tomorrow from 4-7 p.m. Another reception will follow on Sunday from 2-5 p.m. Tamfoolery runs until July 30. Upper Lake Mercantile is located at 9490 Main St.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
