Rat Priestess, 15″ tall, walnut & pine 2015
Diva(Ox), 12″ tall, mulberry wood 2013
Tiger Mother, 18″ tall, locust wood & oil paint 2012
Warrior Rabbit, 15″ tall, walnut 2015
Dragon Girl, 22″ tall, maple, paint, 2015
Snake Charmer, 33″ tall, pine wood, paint, 2015
Horse Mother, 24″ tall, cherry wood, paint, 2015
Black Sheep, 36″ tall, wood, paint 2005 Photo Credit: Bruno Giust
Blissful Monkey, 12″ tall, mahogany, 2010
Queen Mum ( Rooster), 16″ tall, pecan wood + oil paint 2015
Hyena Woman, 23″ tall, red oak, paint 2015
Mama Warthog, 20″ tall, walnut, 2015
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘My artwork celebrates the mystical relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom. Because there were no icons of women in the church that I grew up in, my vision is to create them. Through hybrid female-animal forms that I sculpt in wood, I flesh out sensuality, sexuality and soul with a well-proportioned figurative vocabulary. The natural grain of the wood interacts with the form and shape of my sculptures in a descriptive way, suggesting nostrils, and nipples or garments and fabric textures. I often stylize each piece to enhance the girl, woman, princess, queen or goddess within. The mouths, or in some cases beaks, are closed symbolizing the mysteries they embody. These figures are sculpted in sizes ranging from one to four feet tall. I use color in both subtle and bold ways to activate each piece. My inspiration comes from ancient iconography and mythological imagery.’
-Donna Dodson, www.donnadodsonartist.blogspot.com
BIO
Donna Dodson graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts. She has been honored with solo shows nationwide for her artwork. Dodson enjoys public speaking, and has been a guest speaker at conferences and panels in museums and universities throughout North America. Donna regularly contributes articles to newspapers, magazines and blogs that demonstrate the economic impact and global reach of the arts sector. In 2011 she participated in the Verbier 3D Foundation’s Artist Residency and Sculpture Park in the Swiss Alps. In 2012, 2013 & 2014, she exhibited at the Fountain Art Fair NYC in the historic 69th Regiment Armory Building. In 2013, she returned to Europe, to exhibit her artwork in the Netherlands and to complete a private commission for a Swiss collector. In 2014, she participated in a residency in Cusco Peru at the Escuela de Bellas Artes that culminated in an exhibition at Museo Convento de Santo Domingo Qorikancha with the Boston Sculptors Gallery. She created the Chinese Zodiac Series in 2015.