Artist Statement Donna Hasegawa My work is about compositions, both simple and complex that express ideas of nature, mysticism, and life experience, through images, color, and form. I begin a painting by making marks on the canvas, through writing ideas and inspirations, followed by transparent washes that transform into a patina of color. I step back and respond intuitively to these initial marks by adding and subtracting colors to create shapes. Some areas are left transparent allowing a juxtaposition of transparency and thick paint, suggesting ideas of matter and spirit. My color pallet varies. I usually tend to work in a series of similar color pallets. The influence of art history in my work derives from Prehistoric Man, Impressionism, and Abstract Expressionism. I am curious about the cave paintings of Lascaux. I appreciate the studies of light Monet explored. And, I love the spontaneity of the Abstract Expressionist I chose to use oil paint and mixed media in my work. I like the smell of oil paint and find it lends a fluid, expressive quality to brush work. I find mixed media—use of paper and paint—can be just as fluid in the process. I continue to find inspiration from mystical ideas. I find the inner states of consciousness achieved through stillness can be expressed as inner landscapes of spirit.