March 15, 2019 - The Mariposa County Arts Council invites the public to the opening reception of Spring, an exhibition featuring work from Sierra Nevada painters Moira Donohoe and Vicki Thomas on Thursday, March 28 from 4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at the Treetop Gallery located in historic downtown Mariposa (5009 Hwy 140, Mariposa CA). As a special highlight, the Arts Council will also be showcasing and selling metalwork from their new metal-smithing program for at-risk youth. Light refreshments will available during the reception.
Moira Donohoe - Mystical Shasta with Owl
Artist Moira Donohoe refers to Yosemite as her “yardstick” –– the depth and breadth of the Park holding unparalleled beauty. For Donohoe “…the place you spend your youth has a big impact on how you spend your life.” Her family has a long history in Yosemite, who first settled in Coulterville in the Gold Rush era and then Yosemite Valley in the 1880’s where they established a dairy and bakery which bore their name, Degnan’s. Surrounded by expansive natural landscapes (painting seen above), Donohoe and her siblings experienced a magical childhood growing up in the Park. Donohoe has maintained that sense of wonder in her artwork, Yosemite’s spirit even saturating into her paintings of other places. Her deep connection to Yosemite acts as her lens for observing and relating to the world, art, and almost every other aspect of life. Seeking challenges beyond the studio, Donohoe paints en plein air as frequently as she can, capturing light, energy, and natural elements as they occur.
Donohoe’s BFA in fine art printmaking and later a Masters in painting has led to a part time career in teaching. “It is a wonderful thing to be able to help facilitate someone’s desire to learn to paint and draw,” she says. She currently teaches at the Community College in Oakhurst CA., and is a teaching artist for the Mariposa Arts Council’s Artists in the Schools program.
Vicki Thomas - Teapot and Magnolias
Fellow painter, Vicki Thomas, expresses her inner need to create beauty and share it with others with watercolor or acrylic as a medium. Her distinctive work features vivid flowers and floral still-life, which appear not only on canvas but on eclectic teapots, tea infusers, tapestries, and music boxes and other items. Stylistically comparable to American painter, Mary Cassatt, Thomas’s paintings also depict women or children at play.
Before moving to the Sierra Foothills, Thomas taught art and watercolor classes for students and adults in Los Angeles for 15 years, founded her own art business, and worked as a fashion illustrator. Now, she is a children’s book author and teaches teens in the Oakhurst Library Summer Art Program. Thomas’ paintings have been shown at numerous galleries, exhibitions, competitions, and have received multiple awards. Her work is also held locally at the Ridgeline Gallery in Mariposa and at the Madera County Arts Council’s Circle Gallery.
This exhibition will run at the Treetop Gallery from March 28 - May 17, 2019.
For more information please visit the MariposaArtsCouncil.org website or call the office at (209) 966-3155.
The MARIPOSA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL, INC. is an incorporated not-for-profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County.
Source: Mariposa County Arts Council
