ARTIST STATEMENT
I am continually exploring my personal relationship to painting as it evolved from landscape-inspired images into abstraction. Working without an image facilitates a freedom of artistic expression that has taken me many years to achieve. I reduced my paintings to shapes, line, marks, and gestures, removing notions of “landscape.”
In some of the work, these elements coalesced into a central figure on the canvas which resides on a background or field. At times, the figures or forms may seem to suggest characteristics of personality: serious, playful, undisciplined. Exploiting this figure/ground relationship, I play with creating tensions between them, at times making one or the other more dominant. As a part of this exploration, I frequently engage the edges of the canvas.
I work intuitively with oil, cold wax, and pigment stick, building layers, often scraping or sanding them back. The physicality of oil paint lends itself to making textures. I am drawn to a varied surface: from thick to thin, smooth to rough, simple to complex. In my drawing practice, I use a variety of materials ranging from ink, crayon, gesso and collage. Here I experiment with composition and mark making. Some of these drawings have morphed into three-dimensional scrolled constructions.
My processes create a history in the paintings that conceals and reveals what is underneath, much in the way we hide and expose parts of ourselves to the outside world.
RESUME
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2025 “Art at the Avenue” South Cobb Arts Alliance, Marietta, GA. Juried
“Small Wonders;” Avondale Arts Alliance, Avondale, GA. Juried
“Pop & Plane” Two Person show; Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA.
“Georgia Printmakers;” Marietta Cobb Museum, Marietta GA. Juried.
“Season of Celebration,” Arts Alliance, Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA. Juried. FIRST PRIZE
2024 “Honeycomb” Small works exhibit; Pollinator Art Space; Goat Farm; Atlanta, GA.
“Show Some Red” Tannery Row Art Center; Buford, GA. Invitational. HONORABLE MENTION.
“Metro Montage XXIV; Marietta Cobb Museum; Marietta, GA. Juried..
“Sunshine Days”; Arts Alliance. Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA.
“Art at the Artisan”; Solo exhibition in lobby, Artisan condominiums; Decatur, GA. Curated.
“Inagural Show: Avondale Arts Alliance;” Avondale Estates, GA. Juried.
2023 “Little Things” Swan Coach Gallery Annual Holiday Show; Invitational.
“Off the Wall” Two-person show. Gallery 1740; Atlanta, GA.
“Sunshine Days” Arts Alliance. Buckhead Library, Atlanta. Juried show. FIRST PRIZE.
“Small Change”; Decatur Fine Arts Alliance. Jurors Susan Bridges; Stephanie Smith;
“Abstract is Abstract” HMVC Gallery NYC. Online juried show.
“All Abstract” 311 Gallery, Raleigh NC. Juried show.
“Three Visions in Abstraction” Artisan Resource Center; Marietta GA. Three person show.
2022 “Infinite Possibilities” Online exhibition from course: Perfectly Imperfect: discovering one's visual language.
Tannery Row Fall Juried Exhibition. Buford, GA.
2021 “Art and Healing in the Time of the Pandemic II”, Sirlin Studio. Online invitational show.
Hambidge 2021 Art Auction, Atlanta GA. By invitation.
“Working in the Studio: A Collective Voice,” Bridgeport Art Center; Chicago, IL.
“Control Alt Delete,” Hambidge Cross Pollination Artlab, Atlanta, GA. Juried show.
2020 “Art and Healing in the Time of the Pandemic I; Sirlin Studio. Online invitational show.
2019 Tannery Row Semi-annual Juried Show. Buford, GA.
“Perspectives: WCAGA Group show” Different Trains Gallery, Decatur, GA. Juror Sean Vincent.
“Pushed; Annual Member show WCAGA” GSU Perimeter Campus, Clarkston, GA. Curated.
2018 “Art as Sanctuary: WCAGA Annual Member Show. GSU Perimeter Campus, Clarkston, GA. Curated.
2017 “Our Nature: WCAGA Annual Member Show. GSU Perimeter Campus, Clarkston, GA. Curated.
“Shared Visions; A two person show.” Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Atlanta, GA.
2016 Group Exhibition; IDEA Gallery, Chamblee, GA. Curated.
“Hidden Gem/Haven” Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Atlanta, GA. Juried.
“Georgia Artists Exhibit” Fulton County Arts. Abernathy Arts Center, Atlanta. Juried.
5-Artist Group Show; IDEA Gallery, Chamblee, GA. Curated.
“Objects of Inspiration” two person show. Central Congregational United Church of Christ; Atlanta, GA.
2015 “Mark”; WCAGA Member show. Linden House Art Center, Athens, GA. Juried.
Annual Pin Up Show; MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia) Atlanta, GA.
2014 “Layers”; WCAGA Member Annual Member show.
“Metro Montage” Marietta Cobb Museum, Marietta, GA. National juried show.
2013 “More” WCAGA member show. Brenau University, Gainesville, GA. Juried.
2012 “Artcan: juried exhibition auction fundraiser for pancreatic cancer. Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
“Works on Paper Show” exhibition of the Fine Arts Atelier. Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
2011 “The Irascible Muse: exhibition of the Fine Arts Atelier. Curator: Michael David. Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
2008 “Transformations: 2-person show. Georgia Perimeter College; Atlanta, GA.
2007 “ Looks Good on Paper; juried Pin-up show. Spruill Gallery, Dunwoody, GA.
2006 “Small Sketches & Drawings; Annual holiday show. Swan Coach Gallery. By invitation.
2004 “World of Art,” South Cobb Arts Alliance; Mableton, GA. Juried show.
2003 “Home for the Holidays,” Arts Council; Dawsonville, GA. National juried show.
2002 4-Woman Show. Feminist Women’s Health Center, Atlanta, GA. In honor of Nat’l Women’s Month.
EDUCATION:
2011-13 Fine Arts Workshop Atelier. Mentorship program with NY artist Michael David.
BFA Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
AB Fine Art; Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA.
PROFESSIONAL AFFLIATIONS:
Georgia Committee for National Museum of Women in the Arts
Women’s Caucus for Art of Georgia; Executive committee, Treasurer.
HONORS & RESIDENCIES
2025 Chateau D'Orquevaux; France. Three week residency.
2025 First Prize: Arts Alliance Holiday show; Buckhead Library, Atlanta.
2024 Honorable Mention: Tannery Row Invitational Show; Buford, GA.
2023 First Prize: Arts Alliance Summer show; Buckhead Library, Atlanta.
2022 Wildacres Retreat Center, NC. Week long residency.
2013 Hambidge Center for Creative Arts. Two week residency.
PRESS:
Artsy Shark Featured Artist; December 2023. https://www.artsyshark.com/2023/12/29/featured-artist-donna-horn/
“Emerging artists – finally; Inner need to create at last being satisfied.” Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dec. 21, 2011.
“Hothouse Flowers; An unexpected group of emergent artists blooms at King Plow.” Creative Loafing, Dec 1-7, 2011.