I grew up in the 50’s, sometimes living and traveling abroad with my family, including my paternal grandmother, the only other artist in this otherwise academic family. I was influenced by this grandmother and the oft times exotic world in which we lived.

I left home at 17 and moved to Berkeley, California with my African-American boyfriend. A year or so later, my son, Saul, was born. The East Bay remained home for Saul and me until very recently, when I retired and moved to Mexico. I feel fortunate to have been surrounded by an abundance of cultures, lifestyles and dress for so many years. Such beauty kept my right brain alive and dancing while my left brain managed the day-to-day routines and struggles of life. Though I have painted off and on throughout my life, there were years where art had to wait.

Simply stated, my artwork is how I express my soul. As a single mother raising a bi-racial child I have always hoped for a world where a person’s looks did not immediately evoke prejudice of any kind. My paintings are mostly of women and/or children. Sometimes, race is clear; sometimes, race is indeterminate. Which is better? That’s not my call.
 
What I know is that I love color and pattern and variety. What I know is that if we all looked the same I would have nothing to paint. 

^{Donna Drinnon}