Qoro Fine Art Reproductions

John Donato

Life as an artist began for me in southern New Jersey working on our family's apple and peach farm. Farm life allowed me to spend most of my day outdoors free to observe and study animals. During that time I developed a deep respect for wildlife and began differentiating animals by their distinct personalities. I paid particular attention to how they interact and express themselves.

"Eventually I latticed the artistic techniques I had internalized over the years with my dramatic use of color; a caricature-like mixture of flailing, energetic splashes of complimentary colors with quirky animal personalities which have been repeatedly described as “unique and whimsical animal art with point-blank smile impact."

People often ask "Where do these ideas originate?" It is a tough answer because they come from all angles and directions. Sometimes I see something that initiates a thought process, sometimes a certain mood, dream or experience inspires a story and I paint a moment from that story, sometimes I sit and just think about a subject and an idea surfaces. I try to explain that it mostly comes from an internal process and it is not easy to predict what and when, however I have trained myself to "manage" my creative flow giving me a massive file cabinet of ideas for paintings when I call on them. The most exciting aspect is I don't always know what is going to pop into my head.

Inspiration; I am mostly inspired by animals, bright colors - and I like to smile. In each work I try to embody the universal emotion of joy every being seeks to obtain; every painting an attempt to deliver smiles in a frozen moment of time within the life of animals we often take for granted as manageable commodities.

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