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Born in Maine on the Fourth of July, I spent the first 20 years of my life there in the same city. I had a happy childhood. Our neighborhood had several dead end streets and we lived on one of them. Our street had a steep hill which made for wonderful winter fun. Just beyond its end was a brush bordered brook and open, rolling hillside fields.
I remember in spring crossing the deep, rushing brook to climb the hill to pick the fragrant May Flowers and in the summer and fall, lying on my back in the grass or hay and picking out cloud images in the sky. My parents owned a grocery store (as a teenager, I worked in it and learned people skills – you know: “the customer is always right”) and when not working, they were out door people - gardening, hunting the woods, and fishing the lakes and rivers of Maine. My brother and I went with them. My grandparents were primarily farmers. I was brought up to be independent, self reliant and that I could do anything if I wanted to badly enough. My love for nature, people and all kinds of animals comes from this background, as well as a strong streak of Yankee stubbornness and confidence. It is from this that the seeds for the things I paint: what, why and how; and who I am, were sown though I was not yet a painter.
While attending the University of Maine, I met John, my husband of more than 50 years. After our wedding we headed west for Washington State with our collie puppy (Gordon Bruce Robertson MacTavish) and my life of moving about began. Two of our five children were born here in Washington. The others were born in Alaska. It was in 1961 that we had the opportunity to move to Alaska. We took it and moved to Sitka and it was there that I first took up a paint brush and oil painting. We lived in Alaska for almost thirty years. We moved frequently-averaging every three and a half years.
Because I made many new artist friends and many worked in different media than I, I learned new media. In order to learn about their media and to grow as an artist, I took on a new media in almost every place we lived. In depth, I studied and learned how to do various kinds of print making including silk screen and block printing; carving – traditional and native; black & white media; native arts; writing and illustrating children’s books; watercolor; tapestry; and pastel. I have always felt it important to continually grow as an artist and one way to do this, as well as experimentation, is to work in new media.
We returned to Washington Sate in 1990 and settled in Port Angeles.
Basically self taught through extensive reading and practice, I have also studied at workshops with many national and internationally know artists among them Zoltan Szabo, Barbara Neiches, Robert Bateman, Edgar Whitney, and Nathan Jackson.
Over the years I have participated in many arts organizations and activities as a member, officer, spokesperson and initiator of art related legislation. I was a founding member of Blue Whole Gallery. Teaching is a privilege that I have enjoyed on occasion for many years and more often recently. It is a joy to share some of my experiences and knowledge.
I love to travel and for recreation I have, with John, bred and shown Alaskan Malamutes to AKC and International Championships. I enjoy many kinds of needlework, reading and gardening. For physical activity, I like to walk and swim.
My works are also in The Landings Gallery and Waterfront Art Gallery in Port Angeles, WA., Lakeshore Gallery in Kirkland, WA, and online at my website: www.dstanderwick.com I am still challenged by working at art and am privileged to often have work accepted in juried shows.
I have known many of you for many years and I thank you for your friendship and inspiration. - Donna
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