Starry Night        Vincent van Gogh    1889
Happy New Year Muddy Colorites!
As the New Year rings in, many are want to take an oath of resolution, looking to make their lives and those around them brighter and better. While I am not much of a believer in of-the-moment oathtaking, I do believe that commitments, when they come from deep inside oneself, can be a road to passion and happiness.
In my professional career as an artist, there have been moments when I turned a corner and set myself upon a new path. Never knowing if this new choice would result in a successful development in my career, I knew that I was making the right choice for I was committed to the change.
My advice this day is to look inside yourself and follow that passion which has lead you into your love of art. Tap into that connection and find a way to make it visible, expressive, and share it with others. Write, visualize, teach, sing, post -what ever form it takes. For when you express your passion, you will find others who believe and support what you do.
In this changing world of art and communication, I have been amazed with how the webs of interconnectedness formed communities and relationships beyond the structures just a short decade ago I thought would rule the day. I have grown as an artist because of these changes, and been privileged to watch others grow and blossom as they embrace and evolve with the change. Your visions may not find an audience immediately, but with perseverance and passion, you will connect and feel fulfilled in that choice.
Born in 1967 and raised in Colchester, Vermont, USA, art was always a hobby for Donato as a young man, he would steal away into the basement of his parents' home to work on drawings, create his own maps for the game Dungeons & Dragons, paint figurines, read comics, and construct model tanks and dinosaurs. His love of imaginative play dominated his childhood, both indoors and out. At the age of twenty Donato enrolled in his first formal art class, the beginning of his professional training. Immediately after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University in 1992, Donato moved to New York City to immerse himself in the inspired and varied art scene. Formative years in the early nineties were spent as the studio assistant to the preeminent figure painter Vincent Desiderio, and long days of study in the museums of New York. It was then that his love and appreciation of classical figurative art took hold. He continues his training even now, visiting museums regularly, learning from and sometimes copying original paintings by Rembrandt or Rubens, attending life drawing sessions with illustrator friends and constantly challenges himself within each new project. Pilgrimages to major museums are his preferred reason to travel.
Donato has released a revised hard cover compilation of his works on the theme of J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle-Earth: Journeys in Myth and Legend from Dark Horse Comics.
Thanks for the words! I just finished putting together my own New Year's post on intentions, but admittedly yours is much more artful and full of wisdom, hah. I've been reading around and it's interesting to see the different tones people set in such posts; it's often so reflective of where they are in their careers and artistic journeys.
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Have a great 2015!
Joyful year 2015 to all!
Thanks muddy colors for being a catalyst for change in the past few years and hopefully many more to come!
Happy New Year to you all and thank you for all the great posts and inspiration.
Thanks for the words! I just finished putting together my own New Year's post on intentions, but admittedly yours is much more artful and full of wisdom, hah. I've been reading around and it's interesting to see the different tones people set in such posts; it's often so reflective of where they are in their careers and artistic journeys.
Here's to a great year to come!