Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Torres.
Donna, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born in Nova Scotia of Canadian and Colombian parents. I moved to Miami at age two, so I am basically from here. My path in art began as a child. I was also drawn to nature at an early age. Growing up in Miami provided the perfect opportunity to mix both together. I began making oil paintings about plants and thought that studying botanical Illustration might be a good idea. My paintings were about specific plants used in medicinal and shamanic contexts and I wanted to make these identifiable to my audience. Our local botanical garden, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, offered illustration classes so I signed up. Fifteen years later I was teaching botanical art at Fairchild. Along the way I also got an MFA in painting and drawing which opened the door to an adjunct position in painting at Florida International University. My work has continued in the same line, focusing on the special plants used in medicine and shamanism. The study of art and plants, their history and uses, opened up a world of travel.
Looking at the archaeological uses of plants led me into deep South America. My study of art and art history led me to many European cities. All these studies eventually find their way into my paintings and drawings. Eleven years ago, Pauline Goldsmith and I founded the Tropical Botanic Arts Collective. This group is very active in the South Florida area. I co-directed the group for 5 years. My botanical artworks are featured on books and my latest venture is using my botanical paintings for textiles.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art practice is primarily divided between watercolor, mixed media drawings and oil painting. Painting plants led me to botanical illustration. Most of my illustration work is in the realm of medicinal and shamanic plants. My work in this area has led to some beautiful book projects. After making many these plant paintings I began to use my images for textile designs. My watercolor botanical art paintings focus on the accurate representation of plants, including leaves, flowers, seeds etc. This work brings me close to nature, seeing the tiny details of each plant specimen. All these elements work together in my textile designs. They are now being used in clothing, furniture and table linens. My oil painting practice is where I build my own narratives about the green world. Drawing on the history, contemporary use, and sheer beauty of plants I spin tales in paint. My audience enters a new world full of nature stories, details and overlapping spaces. I try to honor the plants I paint and bring some of that love and respect to others.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Probably the biggest challenge is making sure you work is viewed by the correct audience. It’s important to make connections in your home city. Share with other local artists and define what you care about in your art practice. If you care deeply about something and continue to pursue those ideas people will notice you. Try something new. It’s easy just to stay in your comfort zone but I have always tried to heed the advice of my first serious painting professor. He said every work should include new challenges. In fact, he told us that the painting was a souvenir of the journey you had gone through to make it. I’ve always stayed away from fads, choosing instead to try to develop the skills I needed for my practice. Expand your art zones so that you are always learning. I learn from my students constantly.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My botanical works are often on exhibit in the South Florida area. I am working on an exhibition of works for our new Frost Museum of Science in Miami for this upcoming May. I have a new book project coming out in late April. My work will be featured on the collector’s edition box set of Ethnopharmacology Search for Psychoactive Drugs to be published by Synergetic Press. The best place to keep up with my work is through my website, and on my social media. If you are interested in the process of my work, my Instagram page is best. My textiles and prints are available at my website and my best contact is through email.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3240 SW 82 AVE Miami, FL 33155
- Website: donnatorres.com
- Phone: 305.297.9942
- Email: donnatorres@mac.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/toseeclearly/
- Facebook: facebook.com/DonnaTorresart/
- Other: to-see-clearly.tumblr.com
Image Credit:
My portrait, Photo credit: Selena Lahaie Mandrake. Watercolor on paper Atropa belladonna. Watercolor on paper San Pedro. Watercolor on paper Brugmansia. Watercolor on paper Unpacking History. Oil on canvas I have the time. So, look up at the flowers and the sky. Oil on canvas Lost Village. Textile design The Visionaries. Textile design
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