About the Artist
"Moments in Time"
Donna J. Cannon
About the Artist
"Moments in Time"
Donna J. Cannon
Born and
raised in Atikokan, and having spent the past twenty years in neighbouring Fort
Frances, Northwestern Ontario has provided me with over 40 years of appreciation
for the incredible beauty of the wilderness, as well as many wonderful people in
these communities that have been friends, family, and my greatest source of happiness and
inspiration. In my view, God has blessed me with the desire to see the inherent beauty in people,
and for that reason have enjoyed drawing people and pets all of my life. Ten
years ago, my artistic horizons were expanded when I learned to apply oil to my
portraits, adding incredible depth, warmth and realism that the pencil isn’t
always able to capture. Since then, I have focused more on my art and, with an
insatiable appetite to expand my portraiture to other media, have been
commissioned to complete over forty portraits of people and pets in oil,
graphite, charcoal, pastel, coloured pencil, and acrylic, on surfaces including
varying papers, canvas, suede matboard, and sliced rock including Brazilian
Agate. I am the daughter of two ministers. My Step-dad is also a
professional engineer/geologist and is able to provide me with an incredible supply of various
sliced rocks - another medium on which I am able to paint portraits and produce
a marketable product for future art exhibitions.
In 1997, I prepared and reproduced my first set of four hasty notes from pencil
drawings of dogs, which series is sold out. As a member of the Fine Line Art
Gallery in Fort Frances, I was able to work with some incredibly gifted artists
that developed my talents further, and encouraged me to take my art to the next
level. As a result, I became comfortable holding drawing workshops, as well as
teaching small classes at schools, and providing individual drawing lessons.
As an avid Carl Brenders fan, I completed my first multi-media picture of
variegated maple leaves from my backyard, and in 2002 was encouraged to
reproduce this work for my first limited edition print. As a result, 270 copies
of “Autumn Palette” were produced, and have been selling quickly. I hope to make
this the first of a four season set of prints in the future.
In July, 2004, my husband Chris and I moved to Comox, B.C., with our two
teenage boys, and feel incredibly blessed to call ourselves residents of the
Comox Valley. It is my hope that I can remain active with my portraiture
commissions, and that I will continue to be successful in capturing those
special moments in time for the residents of this beautiful Valley.
My Mission
All of us have loved ones and pets that we have had the privilege to know and
love throughout our lives. With treasured photographs and special momentoes
we’ve tucked away, we remember and, if only for a brief moment, try to re-live
those times, claiming and remembering them as our own.
My goal in portraiture is to capture your special moment when time truly stood
still for you. It is my belief and conviction that with enough attention to
detail, especially to the eyes of your loved one, we can truly capture the
nature of the soul - the source of light, life, and passion for living.
I rely on good, clear photographs to complete my commissions. Often times, it
is not possible to re-capture that special moment before the unexpected loss of
someone we hold dear, so I’ve developed the ability to compose memorial
portraits from a variety of favourite pictures to produce family composites and
poses that capture the feeling of a cherished moment, the way you want to
remember it.
As always, it is my incredible honour to have these special memories shared
with me. In turn, I understand that this privilege comes with the implicit
expectation, purpose and trust that I’ll capture that moment for you to enjoy
time and time again.