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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Birds of a Feather?

One of the side benefits to exhibiting/attending art festivals is being able to meet many other artists, some with quite unique talents. One such artist is Donnie Thornton, who lives in Chincoteague, VA.

Imagine painting on feathers – that’s Donnie's specialty. All types of birds – shorebirds to hummingbirds, also lighthouses, bridges, wildlife and pets. He usually paints from a photo or illustration and does a lot of commission work, especially during the holiday season.

SAM_1796Besides having a unique talent and LOTS of patience, Donnie is among the nicest exhibitors at any art show we’ve attended as either participants or viewers. He’s shown here painting a wooden egg at last weekend’s show. Eggs painted or decorated by local artists were auctioned after the show with proceeds going to a local charity.

Here’s several examples of his amazing painted feather artwork that were on display last weekend. Many had sold by the end of the show. The framed size of most of his feather paintings is 5x7-inches.
painted feathers collage
Last year, we bought two of Donnie’s feather paintings: a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. The detail in each is amazing.

7 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

I'd be tickled to have a feather like that.

possum said...

Yes, Donnie is a great kid, super nice guy, and excellent artist. It was my great fortune to have been his art teacher in high school. I might add, he was also an excellent potter! His specialty was in intricate coil design pots.
Glad you like his work. I am really proud of him.

Connie said...

Those are really great! It must take a lot of patience to paint those.

Cicero Sings said...

Those are amazing. I can imagine the patience to paint on such a surface!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

AC, and we were so tickled tht we bought two of them. Good comment.

We couldn't agree more, Possum. It's always great to see Donnie at a show. His is so modest about his talents, unlike some other artists.

Daisy & Eileen (Cicero) I have watched Donnie work on a feather using a large stand magnifier and the steadiness of his hand is what amazed me.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

I am totally blown away...first how awesome it is you get to see and talk to the artist...

The you were able to see this artist's work first hand. OH MY! he has talent. It almost looks like embroidery. I am floored with his talent.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Tammy, we've seen Donnie many times at art festivals and he is always more than willing to talk and not only about his art. He is a man of many talents, including pottery and is a former champion ice skater. He does not have a website or I would have surely included a link here. The next time, I see DOnnie I'll pass along all the compliments and comments.