By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the first of two 12-piece exhibitions of works by contemporary American landscape painter Donna H. Branson (born 1943 in Oak Park, Illinois). 
 

At a young age, Donna Hahn Branson began drawing and painting with her mother’s pastels. Her interests and abilities were encouraged and supported by both parents. After completing a BA degree from Dominican University, she went on to teach high school math and art in Lansing, MI.

 

Following graduate degrees in design, an MS from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD from Michigan State University, Donna began teaching apparel design at Oklahoma State University. Her 27-year OSU career, that also included research and administration, resulted in numerous awards and honors along the way, most notably the prestigious 2006 Homeland Security Award for innovative cutting-edge protective apparel design research, and induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2011.

 

Nearing retirement, Donna started using her vacations to take painting workshops, beginning with several oil painting workshops with Jerry Fresia in a villa on Lake Como, as well as pastel workshops with Doug Dawson and Clive Tyler. She was hooked! Her passion for creating fine art was re-ignited and she brought the same dedication, enthusiasm and work ethic to her new profession in fine art! Since that time, Donna has taken workshops from numerous prominent artists including Kim Lordier, Bill Schneider, Becky Way, Mitsuno Reedy, Stephanie Birdsall, Lorenzo Chavez and Rick McClure.

 

Today, Donna paints in pastels and oils, primarily landscapes, often plein air. She was thrilled when her first entry into an Oklahoma Pastel Society show resulted in a 1st place award in the landscape category, and a 2nd place award in the portrait category. Since then, her work has been accepted into many judged local and regional shows, and juried national and international exhibitions held in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Texas, garnering numerous awards. In September 2015, Donna was selected to be an artist-in-residence at the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in northern California. Her work is held in private collections in Arizona, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Carolina.

 

She is a member of the Arizona Pastel Artists Association, American Impressionist Society, the Gilbert Visual Arts League, the San Tan Artists Guild, past president of the Oklahoma Pastel Society, and past show chair of the Stillwater Artists Guild. Donna and her husband, Mike, moved to Gilbert, Arizona in 2015, after living in Stillwater, Oklahoma for over 30 years. Examples of Donna’s work can be seen at the Mesa Arts Center gallery, The Store, and online at donnabranson.com.

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Selected Awards & Exhibitions

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• One of Donna’s paintings, Drybed Creek, 2, was juried into the Pastel Society of Colorado’s 12th Annual Mile High International Pastel Exhibition, held in Denver, CO, July 10-Sept 8, 2016. Drybed Creek, 1, was juried into the Pastel National Exhibition, held at the Wichita Center for the Arts, April 1-May 8, 2016.

• Two paintings, Along the Broken Arrow Trail, 1 and Verdant Desert, were accepted into the 2016 Pastel Society of the West Coast’s Online Exhibition.

• Two paintings were juried into the Arizona Pastel Artists Association’s spring show held in Sedona at the Sedona Arts Center April 13-26, 2016. Along the Broken Arrow Trail, 2 took an Honorable Mention Award. 

• Donna was an Artist-in-Residence at the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in September.  She produced about 10 plein air studies and several studio pieces.