Artist Details

Donna Orme is an experimental artist. She began by studying the process of producing an etching on an aluminum plate submerged in a copper sulfate solution and making oil-based monotypes on Mylar. Ms. Orme continued experimenting with chine collé to add color, rhythm, texture and mood to various printmaking techniques. Recently, Ms. Orme became interested in producing acrylic monotypes on clearbag plates without the use of a press, collages from acrylic skins and collagraphs on Stryene or Polycarbonate sheets. She works from vaguely felt thoughts and feelings that are expressed in the colors and forms which emerge through her art. Eye-catching images have a sense of movement and spontaneity making them playful, lively and energetic. Ms. Orme studied printmaking at the College of San Mateo, CA and at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, CA. She has won many national, state and local awards, is a Signature Member of the National Collage Society and her work was selected by VISA for the 2007 Wall Calendar. Her work appears in the American Art Collector, Book 1, Volumes 2 and 3 – Western States (2005/06). She is a member of the California Society of Printmakers, was past president of Allied Artists West, is newsletter editor for the Santa Clara Art Association and actively volunteers at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery where she exhibits her work. Ms. Orme supports the community by giving demonstrations to groups in the techniques of collagraph and acrylic monotypes. She is also available for private workshops in her studio in Santa Clara, CA. Ms. Orme’s work is collected nationally and internationally. Ms. Orme has exhibited her work in California at the Performing Arts Center, Mountain View; Intel, Santa Clara; the Foster City Art Gallery; Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale; the Pacific Art League, Elizabeth Norton Studio, Palo Alto as well as national exhibitions with the National Collage Society, Ohio; Ottawa Ecole School D’Art of Art, Canada; The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County, Georgia; Northwest Cultural Council, Illinois; Cambridge ART 10th Annual National Prize Show, Massachusetts; 19th Parkside National Small Print Exhibition, Wisconsin; Visual Arts Society of Texas; Art Center of Estes Park,Colorado and Mesa Contemporary Arts, Arizona.

I allow obscure thoughts and feelings to emerge into forms and colors which are then expressed in art pieces. My world revolves around creating mixed media and printmaking (monotype, monoprint, collagraph, lithography and etching) artworks. The works incorporate an interplay of space, color, circles and lines as I search for new and creative expressions. Constant reminders of unfinished works prompt me to action. Fascinated by the jars of colored paint in my studio, I ponder the project that lies ahead. The colors for the new body of work will require mixing to achieve the desired consistency, tone and value. The pieces guide me toward a completed work. I move to express what is inside me, so the experimentation begins. The color combinations can be primary, secondary, bright or muted. For the acrylic monotypes, pigment is applied directly to multiple clearbag plates. The oil-based monoprints, monotypes and etchings are produced on aluminum plates submerged in a copper sulfate solution. Acrylic gels/mediums and textural materials are glued to plastic plates to make collagraphs. Inspired by emotional experiences from another time and place, I start to draw unusual, curvilinear marks searching for what resonates. My lines vary in size from thick to thin; irregular shapes are small, medium and large. Each new work points me in another direction. One work might need a design element; another a focal area. Should the texture be smooth, rough, shiny or matted? My mind starts to race faster as I remember the last visit to the art museum and the masterpieces that made me stand still. I pick up some familiar tools of the trade and strengthen each piece with strokes of irregular patterns to keep the eye moving. The acrylic monotype layers of paint can be viewed from the back side of the clearbag plate to see the development of the image. I visualize what will show as the first layer versus the additional layers when the monotype is pulled from the plate. The oil-based monoprints, monotypes and etchings are pulled from the aluminum plates. Printmaking images appear in reverse on the plates. Working spontaneously and intuitively, my mind is absorbed in the process and I can no longer speak. Lost in thought, my actions dominate the moment. My creative thoughts are kept fresh and flowing by the never ending variety of colors, shapes, circles, spheres and lines. The composition of my work is contemporary in feeling. Producing nonobjective art requires that one be articulate about the simplicity or complexity of line. My art is usually playful and has a sense of rhythm and energy that is design oriented. The finished product is a spontaneous expression of thought and emotion. Sharing art with others brings joy to me. At the end of a workday, I find myself in a state of warm tranquility. The images reflect emotions or thoughts from the day they were created. These works, which are vibrantly hued, invite the viewer to create his or her own interpretation of the artwork.

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