BIOGRAPHY:
At 16, after receiving 3 Gold Keys of Excellence in the National Scholastic Art and Writing competitions, and the Armstrong Award of Excellence in Sculpture, Dawn moved to San Francisco, on scholarship to study with Rudolph Schaeffer.
She transferred to the California College of Arts in Oakland earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Design.
At CCAC, she learned a philosophy of using art for problem solving, communication and sustainable solutions.
The Eames Office Design Theory made a deep impression as well as the school’s training in critical thought and social awareness and activism.
Dawn learned about plein air painting after being invited to join a plein air painting group that met weekly at the Honolulu Foster Botannical Gardens. Self taught in watercolor, she gradually developed her visual style and palette.
Moving back to the Bay Area, she switched to oils in her plein air painting following the tradition of the California impressionists studying under Kevin Milligan. Moving to Sweden in 2002 she travelled extensively for work and pleasure, where she worked as a strategic communications expert for Volvo Group’s R&D group, helping the firm’s best and brightest formulate and communincate their visions.
Her role on strategically important initiatives as a conceptual designer and problem solver was to help produce creative and effective communications—something that artists do all the time.
All the while working at Volvo, she continued to paint—switching back to watercolor, which suits the Scandinavian light and weather as Zorn, Larsson and Lerin have proven masterfully.
Unlike any other Scandinavian watercolorist working today, she sees the world through optimistic and contemplative filters with her signature greens and purples. Her compositions draw instinctively from classical Japanese proportions creating fields of vision that invite the viewer to peacefully contemplate their environment. Regardless of media, she likes to explore how temperatures of light in overlapping and layers of shapes and textures to create the illusion of a sense of place and emotion.
She currently splits her time in Sweden and Hawaii with road trips in between to explore new landscapes and light.
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EDUCATION:
Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, San Francisco CA USA. Scholarship.
California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco, CA USA. BFA. 1987.
REPRESENTATION:
Nohea Gallery, Honolulu Hawaii USA
Brilhante Gallery, Kailua Hawaii USA
Aramar Gallery, Gothenberg Sweden
ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
Swedish National Artists’ Guild (KRO) member, 2013. Juried membership.
Swedish National Artists’ Alliance (KRA), member 2014. Juried membership.
National Watercolor Society, (NWS) member, 2014
Hawaii Watercolor Society (HWS) member, 2014
Artist of Hawaii Association, member, 2014. Hawaii’s oldest artist association.
International Plein Air Painters (IPAP) member, 2001
International Plein Air Painters Signature Member
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SELECTED EXHIBITS
2017 Mother’s Words. Aramar Gallery. Solo show.
St. Augustine 8th Annual Wildlife Show. Juried national show. 1 watercolor.
AHA Color It Spring Show. Juried. 3 pieces. Oahu Country Club
AHA Aloha Show. .Juried. 3 pieces. Honolulu Hale City Hall
HWS Members Spring Show. Juried. 3 pieces. Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
HWS Celestial Realms Group Show. Juried. 2 pieces. Honolulu Country Club
2016 Calling of Bezalel. River Street Gallery, Gothenberg Sweden. Solo Show.
Guest Artist Residence. 1 week. Nordic Watercolor Musuem, April 2016
AHA 90th Annual Members’ Show. Juried. 3 pieces.
HWS and AHA Invitational Honoring Ho’omaluhia Park Group Show. 2 pieces.
Punahou Art Auction (Feb 2016) premiere with 3 paintings
‘Picasso and Dali in a Conversation’, Invitational Curated Group Show, Sofia and Capri. Diptych.
‘Convergence’ Group show with 3 other artists, Gallery on the Pali, Hawaii USA. 15 pieces.
2015 Cedar Street Galley Annual Miniature Show, Hawaii USA. 1 piece.
Swedish National Artists Guild Jublileum National Juried show, Gothenberg, Sweden. 1 piece.
Helsingborg Artist Association. KONSTEN Inaugural Show, Sweden. National Juried Group. 5 pieces.
Helsingor Cultural Center, Denmark. International Juried Group Show, Konst På Kryss. 3 pieces.
Galleri Quinerius, Toscana Italy. Curated group show. 3 pieces.
2014 Gallery 69, ‘Scandavians in New York’ group invitational, New York USA. 5 pieces.
Dubai International Art Centre, group invitational, Dubai. 2 pieces.
Masthuggetskyrkan 150 year Jubileum Juried Invitational Group. 1 piece.
Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall, London, England. Invitational Group. 3 pieces.
2013 En trappa ner. Göteborg, Sweden. Juried Group.
2011 Galleri SK, Göteborg, Sweden. 2 person. With Bertil Wolgren
2010 Galleri Oliven. Göteborg, Sweden. Solo.
Stadsbiblioteket, Main State Library, Göteborg, Sweden. Solo.
2009 Frico galleri. Göteborg, Sweden. Solo.
2008 Pocket Med Mera Galleri. Göteborg, Sweden. Solo.
Art On Galleri. Göteborg, Sweden. Solo.
2006 BASF corporate gallery. Sweden. Solo.
