Donnamaria Bruton

 

 Donnamaria Bruton (1954 - 2012) was a painter and faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design, known for her mixed media paintings and collages.
Bruton's style, described by The Providence Journal as "a loose free-flowing style.... but with a strong realistic streak," makes use of her drawing, painting and collage skills.Many of her collages employ mundane objects as the key to getting at a deeper memory or concept.Her first solo exhibit was in 1993 in Austin, Texas, and was well-received.
"Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Donnamaria Bruton grew up in Detroit, and graduated from Michigan State University in 1976 where she earned her BFA in Graphic Design.  After graduation, Bruton continued her art career by studying art with her uncle, painter Edward Loper, Sr.  in Wilmington, Delaware.  During this time,  Bruton often visited the collection of art in the famous Barnes Foundation to study the collection.  Founded by Albert C. Barnes in 1922, the collection holds some of the most seminal works by Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir and Modigliani as well as important examples of African sculpture.  Bruton's entree to the Barnes resulted in a lifelong reverence for the work of Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and are among Bruton's greatest influences along with abstract painter Cy Twombly.
In 1993, she joined the Painting Department as Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design.  Donnamaria Bruton's work has been included in numerous one-person and group exhibitions throughout the United States, including an early solo exhibition at Woman and Their Work, Austin, Texas as well as exhibiting abroad in Canada, Japan, France and Korean Biennial.  Donnamaria Bruton's work is in the permanent collection of the Black Studies Gallery, University of Texas, Austin, Newport Art Museum, RISD Museum, Yale University Art Gallery and many private collections."(cadetompkinsprojects.com)