Artist Talk with Mary Frances Dondelinger at The Art Spirit Gallery

Description

Please join The Art Spirit Gallery on Tuesday, July 30 as featured artist Mary Frances Dondelinger discusses the current show, “The Land of Milk and Honey,” and how life’s situations and opportunities influenced the theme and process of her thought-provoking work.  The free talk begins at 6 pm; all community members are welcome.
Since 2003, Mary Francis has studied the ancient tradition of orthodox religious iconography - its theology, history, materials and practice. She studied at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in central Idaho with iconographer Sr. Carolyn Miguel.(2003-4). In 2005 she apprenticed with master iconographer Fr. Gianluca Busi in Bologna, Italy and thereafter, he continued on-line education and critiques of her work. In 2006, she assisted Fr. Busi in the United States as he worked and taught at St. Gertrude’s. These crucial experiences have proven beneficial to the maturation and development of Mary Francis’ contemporary work.
 
Over her career, Mary Francis has won numerous awards in local and regional exhibitions and is in many public and private collections in the United States. Her work held a prominent space in the invitational exhibit GOLD in 2012 in Vienna, Austria at the Belvedere Palace Museum curated by Thomas Zaunschirm.
 
During a one month residency at Jentel Foundation (2009) in Wyoming, Mary Francis focused on synthesizing the antiquity of the iconography with concerns of modernity. Out of this residency came a series of works titled “MODERN ICONS: Endangered Species,” which explores the human use and sacrifice of water, land, and animals for a perceived human benefit. She uses materials of the ancient masters: gold leaf, rabbit skin glue, marble dust, and egg tempera and the basic concepts of sacred images. The subject matter is fueled and informed by her volunteer work in her Southwestern communities regarding food security issues and education, the realities of water in the desert, and her growing understanding of the land. Mary Francis apprenticed in Italy with master orthodox iconographer Don Gianluca Busi. She applies the traditional materials and theories of this sacred art form to contemporary themes such as concern for the environment.
 
Paintings of endangered species are featured in the publication Modern Icons: The Sacrifice of Endangered Species of the American Southwest. Her current work is also included in the an edition featuring endangered species of the American Northwest.