Artist Statement, Bio and Résumé

Violet Dauk, Visual Artist

Artist Statement

Creating art has always been a captivating experience for me where I pour my heart, soul and dreams into every piece of artwork. As a young artist it was difficult for me to get beyond the feeling that people were reading my private story in the art I created. I‛ve grown to understand that people filter my paintings through the lens of their experience and read into my artwork their own stories. I now enjoy comments that my artwork does tell stories, that my animals have attitude and that my work is colorful, whimsical, unique, and spiritual.

I love to work in a number of mediums. Each medium brings its own satisfaction: Watercolor with the way it flows together to create its own mystery and whimsy; Oil with a buttery consistency as you paint it on the canvas; Clay with its silkiness can be molded into any object you desire; Photography as it captures moments of life.

Artist Bio

Violet has been a fine art painter for 35 years. She attended an art college, School of the Associated Arts, on Summit Avenue in St Paul, Minnesota, where she majored in fine art painting. People comment that Violet‛s paintings stir emotions and that her animal drawings have “attitude” that bring smiles to their faces. Violet grew up on a small dairy farm near Randolph, Minnesota, about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities. Presently, she works out of her home studio in New London, Minnesota. She is married to a pastor, and they have two adult children. Art is, and has always been, a part of who she is. She feels her work is her ministry.

Violet enjoys painting in watercolors, oils, acrylic, pen and ink; and drawing in charcoal, graphite, and pastel. She designs and makes jewelry from repurposed watercolor and acrylic paintings. Her artwork and jewelry is described as fun, colorful, spiritual and sometimes whimsical. Recently she has started illustrating for children‛s picture books. violetdauk.com and violetdauk.blogspot.com .

Violet Dauk   -------------------------------------------------------------------

     Visual Artist

                                                       Résumé

Residences:

1955-1973 - Dairy farm near Randolph, MN

1973-1994 - Lived in the Twin Cities, St. Louis, MO and Springfield, OR

1994-Present - New London, MN Resident

Education:

1973 - Graduate of Randolph Public High School, Randolph, MN

1977-1980 - School of the Associated Arts in St. Paul, MN majoring in Fine Art Painting

2000-Present - Various Art Workshops including: Watercolor; Ceramics; Book Arts; Papermaking.

2009 - The Art of Doing Business Marketing by Jodi Walsh

2010 - Work of Art from Kathleen Richert of the Springboard for the Arts

2012 - Luminous Colors from David Feinberg

2016 - Plein Air Painting from Dan Mondloch

Related Work Experience / Professional Experience:

1982-1983 - Traveled the USA and Mentored under a Black and White Photographer

1983-1986 - Graphics Catalog Designer and Copy Writer at CENEX, Inver Grove Heights, MN

1986-1990 - Legal Secretary at Severson, Sheldon, Dougherty and Molenda, P.A.

1990-Present - Self-Employed Studio Artist

1994-Present - Instructor for youth and adult art classes

2005 - Art Residency at Lincoln Learning Center in Willmar, MN

2009-2013, 2016 - Willmar Area Arts Council Board Member heading the Exhibition Committee

2014-2016 - After School Kids Art Club, Willmar, MN

2016 - Artist Residency at Roosevelt Elementary School, Willmar, MN
2017 - Artist Residency at Roosevelt Elementary School, Willmar, MN

Juried Contests:

Fall 2008 – Painting selected for Fund raiser by the Emergency Food Shelf Network Headquarters in New Hope, MN

Spring 2012 - Painting selected for the Art in the Park Stinger’s Baseball Poster Competition

Juried Exhibitions:

April-May 2009 - Minnesota Watercolor Society Spring Juried Show at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts

November 2009 - Bloomington Art Center's 'Water' presentation at Black Box Theater

Solo Shows:

December 2010 WEAC - Coffee Stories - Willmar, MN

February 2011 - The Barn Theatre –Willmar, MN

September - December 2014 – North American State Bank, Willmar, MN

December 2014 - Granite Falls Arts Council – Sunny Side Up – Granite Falls, MN

July 2015 - Wheeler Gallery – Back on the Farm – Terrace, MN

Artist Grant:

August 2012 - SMAHC Individual Artist Development Grant – ‘Every Painting Tells a Story’

Best of Show:

November 2013 – Happy Holidays Show – Barn Theatre

Duo Art Show:

December 2011-January 2012 – ‘The Power of Two’ with Janet Olney in Marshall, MN

Featured Artist:

December 2003 - Art in the Village Art Gallery – New London, MN

December 2012 - Kaleidoscope Gallery, New London, MN

January 2015 - United Minnesota Bank's

August 2015 - March 2016 - Middle Fork Café

June - August 2016 - Terrace Mill - Terrace, MN
April - May 2017 - Harvest Bank - Atwater, MN