Libertyville landscape artist pursues her passion

The blue color of the Atlantic Ocean may need something a little different to convey the image - a purple perhaps, with magenta overtones for the brown cliffs leading to the seaside.

These are the kind of decisions Libertyville artist Donna Sands has been contending with as an artist-in residence at Acadia National Park in Maine.

As of Sept. 1, Sands, a "color equivalent" artist who specializes in landscapes, has been creating and teaching as part of a national program at Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor.

Sands has lived in Libertyville for 18 years and has been in the arts field her entire adult life, working in advertising for more than a decade. Her passion for painting never dimmed, however, and in 2001 she decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her art full time.

It was after seeing documentary filmmaker Ken Burns introduce his National Parks series that she adjusted her goal.

"OK, I'm going to do (paint) all the national parks before I die," she decided. "I'm 55 so I may have to double up."

She learned of the artist-in-residence program at Acadia, which provides professionals with a chance to become part of a long tradition. According the National Park Service, artists were the first to record the beauty of the West on canvas and in pictures of waterfalls and wildlife in what would become Yellowstone National Park, the first in the nation.

In the mid-1800s, landscape painters went to Mount Desert Island, which inspired writers and others. Those who followed were known as rusticators because they lived with the local fishermen and farmers each summer. By 1880 there were 30 hotels on the island.

While the number of visitors increased, the heart of the attraction remained.

"The park, with its dramatic cliffs stretching to the sea, balsam-scented forests and spring warbler serenades, offers artists a perfect setting to practice and pursue their craft," according to National Park Service literature.

"I will have all day to paint whatever I want," Sands said before her trip.

In the spring and fall the park provides housing to artists-in-residence for two- to four-week periods, but there is no stipend. Participants are responsible for their own food and transportation.

In return, artists like Sands are asked to donate a piece of work and participate in a public program, such as teaching grade-school students. Between four and six artists are selected each year, so Sands is in elite company.

Artists must submit six digital images, a resume and summary of their work, a statement about what they hope to accomplish, a description of their presentation and references.

"They look at your style. How unique is it? I'm a bit different because I'm a color equivalent," Sands said.

She packed 35 colors for her trip to the East Coast.

"In the Midwest, green is a rather predominate color," she said in an e-mail before she left.

"I want to say 'green' but not use green. I constantly search for new ways to show what I am seeing and feeling at the moment."

She returns to Illinois a day early, as she will be holding a solo exhibit "The Four Seasons," which runs through Thursday, Sept. 30, at the Old Town Art Center, 1763 N. North Park, Chicago.