Biography
Dana Hulburt was born in 1968 in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in the small coastal town of Pacific City, Oregon. Her father helped develop the town. Her mother frequently took Dana to the beach and art lessons. She attended Neskowin Valley School a small private school in a renovated barn. This is where Dana learned italic handwriting and her creative spirit was nourished.
Throughout her childhood her two loves were art and horses. After attending high school at Nestucca Union High School she studied Elementary Education and Art at Western Oregon University graduating in 1989. The next year she married her high school sweet heart and they went on to have 3 sons. For many years she was busy with family life and teaching. Creating art with her children and the children in her classes has always been a priority.
When her sons were grown and her parents both passed away the art in her heart came alive. The family bonus room became a studio and the urge to create, the desire to experiment and the curiosity to study art resurfaced. Her studio is perched upon a hill overlooking Haystack Rock and the Nestucca Valley. Before or after teaching 2nd Grade this is where she creates. She burns literary and philosophical quotes on driftwood, and birch panels. The driftwood is collected on her daily walks with her dog Toco. Dana’s unusual flair for bringing forth both nature and color make her work unique. The natural grain of the wood becomes the path for quotes. In her seascapes, landscapes and animal paintings color is used with imagination and harmony. Take the time to experience her work.
Artist Statement
“When morning and evenings roll along, watch how they open and close.”
William Stafford
I love the quietude of dawn and the restfulness that settles with dusk. This is when I feel most alive, when the light dances on the earth in prismatic colors. During this time wildlife gracefully appears. Whether I am on the beach or in the forest I am free! Free to sense, observe, collect, sketch, photograph or just wander. Free to soak up life, light and ideas to use at the easel later.
As time comes into my life I bring forth these ideas with a vital urgency and happiness. The bringing forth of an idea is a fascinating process. When starting a painting there is much thoughtful work: the initial notan, value study and palette. Then as the painting is underway the fun begins: the experimenting, the doing and responding, and the spontaneous dance at the easel. This is when the surprises begin to take place and the painting takes on a life of it’s own. The initial painting idea is soundly rooted in theory to begin, but the growth and life of the painting come from imagination and intuitive responding! Here lies the excitement and thrill in painting!
Dana Hulburt Art 