WALTON COUNTY ARTIST OF THE YEAR DONNA BURGESS
TO CONDUCT WORKSHOP ON ANIMAL PORTRAITURE
Santa Rosa Beach[FONT="]–[/FONT] The Cultural Arts Association is proud to partner with Walton County Artist of the Year Donna Burgess to conduct an animal portraiture workshop on Tuesday, July 15 from 10am until 4pm at the Bayou Arts Center on County Road 393 North. Tuition is $75 and $65 for CAA Members. To enroll, please call the Cultural Arts Association office at (850) 622-5970 or send an email to culturalarts@embarqmail.com.
Donna Burgess captures the beauty and joy of coastal life through her multi-media interpretations and award-winning festival art. Burgess’ signature designs feature scenes of coastal life, such as tin-roof beach cottages, animals and children at play and whimsical marine creatures. Her award-winning festival poster designs have promoted a variety of events, including the Destin Seafood Festival, Destin Fishing Rodeo, Seaside Memorial Day, Sandestin Wine Festival, Sandestin Memorial Day, and the yearly Autumn Tides celebration sponsored by the Beaches of South Walton. Away from home, she has created artwork for the prestigious 40th annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival and the extravagant Boca Raton Food and Wine Appreciation weekend.
Private and corporate collections of the artist’s work are numerous, including those of the Sandestin Corporation, Hilton Hotels, Embassy Suites, the Southern Company, Amsouth Bank, Access Bank, Security Title Company, McDonalds Corp., The Westinghouse Corporation, Seaside Development Corporation, The Howard Group, Rodney Strong Vineyards, professional athletes Tom Glavine, Don Sutton and Frank Howard, Elton John, the late jazz musician Herbie Mann, and former president George H. Bush.
Donna Burgess has been an active fixture in the Florida Gulf Coast art scene for more than 20 years. A native of the Emerald Coast, she is renowned not only for her artistic talent, but for her philanthropic endeavors as well; Her painting inspired by the events of September 11, 2001 raised more than $50,000 for the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, and she has completed a series of Labrador Retriever dog images in which a portion of the proceeds raised benefit The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. After Hurricane Katrina., a poster “dedicated to those lost and those who tried to save them….Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi,” raised funds for shelters in Bay, Okaloosa and Walton Counties housing people who fled the damaged areas. An avid animal lover, Donna also painted a series of dog portraits, “Lucky Dogs,” of pets from the hurricane ravaged areas, to raise funds for local animal shelters.
Through the years, her artwork has raised thousands of dollars for the Mattie Kelley Arts Foundation through auctions of her Sandestin Wine Festival art. The Elton John AIDS Foundation was the recipient of an original painting that raised $16,000 for the charity. Donations of original and reproduction work have raised thousands of dollars to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. She also contributes to a number of national and community charities through auctions and sales of her work; Shelter House, American Cancer Society, Empty Stocking Fund, Northwest Florida Symphony Guild, Boys and Girls Club, Humane Society, and Society for Historical Preservation.
Animal portraiture workshop participants should bring a clean, close-up photo of their pet and a pre-workshop drawn sketch of the photo on Archs 140/300 lb paper (or comparable) that is ? sheet or larger. A detailed supply list will be given upon registration.