Below, Artist Donald Rainville gives an intimate look inside a few of the pieces in the 9th Annual Choice Art Show.
Mist of Mousam and When She Dreams
“At times I use a forest floor covered in mist. The slightly obscured pathway is a morning walk where few others venture, Mist of Mousam is a perfect example of this. The mist is a genre enhancer meant to insinuate mystery and undisturbed quiet within a scene. This is also true in When She Dreams which is intended as a vivid dream of otherworldly interaction. “
Autumn’s Lace
“Except for Autumn’s Lace, the scenes I have created are all spring or summer, but with this piece, I move beyond. It’s easy to see beauty and mystery when it’s spring, and life is emerging all around us. Having wildflowers and fields in our yard here, I am often struck by how beautiful and untouched a wild place or garden can be, even when the summer is over, and it has gone to sleep. The frosts of the evening or early morning can bring to life a whole different kind of intricate white finery covering each sleeping stem and flower with a mysterious beauty. Once again, the garden or field has a life. It’s just life. Still, it draws in and captures the eye of passers-by admiring this mysterious beauty. I intended Autumn’s Lace as a play on words. Autumn, a woman’s name and leaving it up to the viewer as to whether the lace is the Queen Anne’s Lace or the frost simulating lace on the woman’s gown. “
Betula’s Garden
“I often use birches in compositions. Celtic mythology of tree symbolism is absolutely fascinating. So many trees give aspects of masculine, feminine, standard class, or nobility. In Betula’s Garden, I once again used Betula, the Latin name for the birch family of trees, as a woman’s name as wordplay. The scene is the height of spring, and I wanted to create a forest garden, a place that was a combination of both.”
Ladies in the Night
“Ladies in the Night is another birches scene. The birches and the moon together indicate it’s a ladies-only gathering. I use them quite often because of their distinction from so many other trees in the forest. Their presence lights up any wooded scene. They are often the first trees a child notices in a walk through the woods. Every tree has its own unique qualities that native peoples all over the world have used for millennia. The birch is one of a small grouping to have such bark to stand out among all the others.”
Fun Fact From the Artist
“Just like human beings. Every single tree in all the forests of all the world has its own DNA pattern unique to itself and apart from its own kind. They are as unique, and as much each an individual as anyone of us is.”
Below are a few links to learn more about Rainville and see all of his available works.
Donald Rainville – Insights in Video
Donald Rainville- THE BLOG – Artist Insights and Stories
