Marks of Memory, featuring a collection of mixed media paintings & monotypes by Donne Bitner March 14 2014

Donne Bitner

––Marks of Memory

Opening reception: Saturday, April 5, 4 - 7pm
Exhibition dates: April 5-26, 2014

For the month of April, Arts on Douglas presents Marks of Memory, a solo exhibition featuring a collection of mixed media paintings and monotypes by Orlando artist, Donne Bitner. The exhibition will be on view from April 5, 2014 through April 26, 2014 with an opening reception on Saturday, April 5th from 4-7 pm. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

The title of the exhibition, Marks of Memory, points to the central tenet of Donne Bitner’s artistic practice––the painting process. “When I paint I don’t have a preconceived idea or point of reference from which I work. I never know what the work will look like in the end. My process is one of discovery” explains Bitner. Known for her improvisational method of painting richly layered surfaces, Bitner’s work often incorporate acrylic paints, oil pastels, graphite, charcoal, and gesso. With her latest body of work, Bitner demonstrates an ardent drive to experiment with new techniques and media. The exhibition is comprised of ethereal landscape paintings on canvas as well as acrylic monotypes that she produced at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee.

Donne Bitner graduated with honors from Penn State University with a degree in Art. She studied at the Slade School at the University of London, and has been a successful full-time studio artist for 25 years. She has been the recipient of many grants and fellowship awards, such as the Florida Individual Artist's Fellowship, Development Grant from the United Arts of Central Florida, and the State of Florida individual Artist Enhancement Grant. Her work is included in the collections of Huntsville Museum of Art, Springfield Art Museum, Gulf Coast Center for the Arts, Vero Beach Center for the Arts, Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences, Rollins College, State of Florida Capital Collection, Holmes Medical Center, Maitland Museum, and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. Currently, she teaches watercolor, monotypes, and experimental acrylics at Crealde School of Art in Winter Park, and she maintains a studio at McCrae Art Studio.