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Medium:
Transparent watercolor painting and block prints Sculptural
watercolors
An interest in
art since childhood led Dawn to study at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the University of
Arizona in Tucson
where her emphasis was on watercolor. She graduated from the
U of A with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and has taught art to both
elementary and pre-school children.
An Oneida
Indian artist from Wisconsin specializing in watercolors, Dawn
works with Woodland American Indian subject matter and ideas.
This subject matter combined with a very controlled watercolor
style (often mistaken for airbrush) results in a peculiar
mystical quality sometimes referred to as “magic realism”.
Using stories
and traditions from her own
Woodland
culture, she translates traditional Iroquois beadwork designs
into patterns and borders in her paintings. She also uses the
traditional meanings of different designs in creating each
piece. As a member of the Turtle Clan of the Oneida Nation,
the turtle figures in all of her paintings, either prominently
or, in some cases, hidden, but always present. Signifying
long life and creation, it has become her trademark.
Dawn’s
creative process begins with gathering these ideas and stories
and developing a series of sketches which will eventually be
put together in a full-sized drawing. This drawing will then
be transferred to watercolor paper. The actual painting begins
with a series of layers of transparent watercolor washes. The
smaller details are developed in the same manner, again, using
layers of transparent watercolor. Dawn works with two brushes
at all times, one to lay in the color, the other to control
the diffusion of color with water. As the piece nears
completion, the details are emphasized and the darkest
pigments are laid in. Some pieces are conceived with a
“three-dimensional” aspect. These sculptural paintings include
cut-out pieces that are layered on top of the original
watercolor painting. Each of these cut-outs is painted on the
top and back surfaces as well as the edges.
In addition to
her paintings, Dawn also has a series of linoleum and wood
block prints that are then completed with watercolor. Each of
these blocks is carved and printed by hand, making each print
unique.
Reproductions
of some of Dawn’s original watercolors are also available.
They are all produced by means of offset, digital or
lithographic printing processes under her supervision and with
limited editions of each.
Dawn has been
the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a
fellowship and awards from the Santa Fe Indian Market, awards
at the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, Indianapolis, IN, and
the Tesoro Foundation Indian Market in Denver, CO among others. Dawn was
commissioned in 2006 to design a Pendleton blanket in honor of
the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Her work has been on book
covers and posters, in magazines, and on several CD covers
including Joanne Shenandoah’s 2005 recording of “Sky Woman”.
Dawn’s work can be found in numerous shops and galleries
throughout the United States. She also markets her work at
various art markets, art fairs and art shows including Santa
Fe Indian Market, the Smithsonian
Museum of the American Indian in
Washington D.C., the Heard
Museum in Phoenix and the Eiteljorg
Museum in
Indianapolis, IN.
Dawn is a
breast cancer survivor of 14 years.
Her concern with health issues has sometimes been reflected in
her work, particularly in her Earth Medicine Series as well as
her current “Pink Shawl Dancer” prints. A portion of the
proceeds from the sale of these images will benefit the
Wisconsin Pink Shawl Imitative.
Dawn currently resides in
Monona, Wisconsin with her husband Keith and Bagel the beagle.
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