Donna Grigar

I've always seen the world differently. I see shapes and shades of colors, patterns and movement, obscure details and variations, beauty in the mundane. My background is in interior design and I've always been immersed in something creative, from faux stained glass, to handbag design, poetry and writing to furniture design. In 2011, I had surgery to remove several areas of basal cell carcinomas on my face that included the need to reconstruct my left nostril. In search of something creative I could do while facing forward to minimize the tremendous swelling, I purchased what I call the "kindergartener's starter set" for painting with a cute tabletop easel I could use. I turned on some classical music and began to paint. Soon, I was mesmerized by the movement of the paint and how I could control shape and shading. The world disappeared and time stood still. At the end of the day, I left my lotus painting on its little easel and while turning around to turn the light out, I stood in awe of what I had created. That day, a great passion was born and now I cannot imagine my life without the cathartic release, the excited swell or the escape into canvas I feel when I paint. Each time I sell a painting I am both humbled and enco...