Tag Archives: danielle o'keefe

Danielle O’Keefe’s Year of Watercolor (2009)

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Danielle O’Keefe’s Year of Watercolor represented a giant leap forward in her artistic skills, compared with artworks she had produced in her younger years. Motivated by her positive experience with the 2008 Art Exhibit and Fundraising Event for National EB Awareness Week, Danielle started creating more art in 2009. This was the year she learned how to work with watercolor paints. As you look at her 2009 watercolor paintings you can literally see her progress with the medium from month to month. Her favorite subject was portraits and she used photographs of close family members and some of her good friends as her baseline reference material.

Danielle O’Keefe’s 2009 Watercolors and other Artworks

Little Boy Joshy, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, June, 2009
“Little Boy Joshy”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
June, 2009 (13 years old)
Nora, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, July, 2009
“Nora”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
July, 2009 (13 years old)
The Eyes of Dina, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, August, 2009
“The Eyes of Dina”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
August, 2009 (13 years old)
Pinwheel Flowers, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, August, 2009
“Pinwheel Flowers”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
August, 2009 (13 years old)
Guess Who!, Finger Paint on Canvas, Danielle O'Keefe, August, 2009
“Guess Who!”
Finger Paint on Canvas
Danielle O’Keefe,
August, 2009 (13 years old)
Lady Blue, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, September, 2009
“Lady Blue”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
September, 2009 (13 years old)
Green Eyes, Watercolor on Paper, Danielle O'Keefe, September, 2009
“Green Eyes”
Watercolor on Paper,
Danielle O’Keefe,
September, 2009 (13 years old)

Danielle’s watercolor titled “Pinwheel Flowers” was one of her first true original compositions. Thus, still life compositions and abstract compositions were among her themes. After having worked in watercolors for most of the year, with some experimental use of graphite outlining in her watercolor paintings, an interest was expressed in developing skills with graphite and ink by themselves, along with a desire to create additional works using other mixed media. By the end of the year Danielle had a significant number of artworks that she produced and her family called this period of her artistic development, “Danielle O’Keefe’s Year of Watercolor”.

Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League (2008)

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2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League at Cheshire Public Library.
Cheshire Public Library,
Cheshire, Connecticut

The 2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League was my first art show. The exhibit was held at the Cheshire Public Library in a dedicated space.

Even Literature – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit event literature by the Cheshire Art League.
Event Brochure

Hanging and Receiving (4-2-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

I volunteered to help hang the exhibit. In addition, my family, wife, and children also assisted with the hanging process. During the hanging, I met several artists I would get to know better in the coming years.

Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, Member artists hanging artwork for exhibit
Hanging
Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, Member artists hanging artwork for exhibit - group pose
Hanging Team
(from left to right)
Paul Miller, John MacKay, Jennifer O’Keefe,
John O’Keefe, Dale Spaner, Danielle O’Keefe,
Angela Orsene, Joan Shackford,
and Joshua O’Keefe (taking the picture)

Award Ceremony and Reception (4-9-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

With great excitement and anticipation, we arrived early for the award ceremony and reception. There were about 40 people in attendance. As a result, I met and talked with many people, including some artists in the exhibit. During the evening, I received an award and cash prize for my painting, “River Through the Adirondacks.” My family and I had a good time at the 2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League.

'River Through the Adirondacks' by John O’Keefe Jr
“River Through the Adirondacks” by John O’Keefe Jr.
Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, John posing with award next to wining painting
John O’Keefe Jr. and “River Through the Adirondack’s”

Meet the Judge (4-30-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

John O'Keefe and Dianne Gorrick
John O’Keefe Jr. and Dianne Gorrick

“Technique and brushwork with attention to detail outstanding. The use of the difficult color green is well executed. Distance – good 3D effect. Hudson River School quality.” ~ Dianne Gorrick

About the Judge – Visual Arts Exhibit

Professional artist Dianne Gorrick
Dianne Gorrick

Artist Dianne Gorrick’s formal education in the visual arts includes a Bachelor’s Degree from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan University.

She is the recipient of two National Endowment Fellowships; a research grant concerning the Hudson River School of Painters and a fellowship to attend Dartmouth College, where she studied the art and culture of New England.

A painter and teacher with over thirty years of experience in the visual arts, Ms. Gorrick is represented in many private and public collections, including a prestigious sculpture installation for the Russell Library in Middletown, Ct. A lengthy exhibition history includes the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the New Britain Museum, the Slater Museum, and the Ward-Nasse Gallery, SoHo, N.Y.C.

Ms. Gorrick is an elected artist at the Mystic Art Center and the Essex Art Association. She is a member of the Ct. Plein Air Painters Society and the Lyme Art Association. Working in oils and watercolors, landscapes are the artist’s favorite subject matter. 1

Footnotes:

  1. Biography information for Dianne Gorrick from her website.