Fine Art, Watercolor and Oil Paintings by Violet Dauk of New London, MN

'One person with passion is better
than forty people merely interested.'
E. M. Forster

I found this quote at the bottom of an email that my sister, Norma sent to me. This statement can apply to any area of our lives, not just in the area of art. I think that's why kids love life so much - they live it passionately and with curiosity!
What are you passionate and curious about???

My Journey as an Artist

The Root of Imagination

The statement, 'you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl,' is very true about me. We have lived in large cities in the past and I enjoyed living in the city, but love to live in the country. Life growing up on a small dairy farm was always an adventure. Naturally there were many chores, but there were also a lot of fun times too. Come to think of it, many of the chores became fun times as our imaginations took hold, and we made play out of that time too. I was often told that I was a daydreamer. In my imaginative eye I saw beauty and color that was filled with God. I guess that somehow has translated into my artwork, which has often been said to be spiritual, colorful, fun and many times whimsical.

Spark of Interest

She was very unassuming, nice, quiet, had never married, lived with her mother and worked at the post office. Someone that most people wouldn't consider to have much of an influence on anyone. But the impact she had on my life was enormous. I wanted with all my heart to be able to do what she did. She was an artist. I can't put into words what I was thinking as I observed her artistry, but I do remember being completely astounded and amazed by her talent. Her ability for creating art drew me in, but it was more than that. She was producing a spiritual work of art that was so moving for me as a child that it has affected me to this day. The art that I saw her create was called 'chalk talks.' She would tell a Bible story as she drew a picture. When she finished the drawing, the lights were turned off, she would turn on a black light and out of nowhere the Cross of Jesus would appear. I was mesmerize! In my young mind the spark was lit. So, I started to draw, and draw, and draw. I never was able to take any formal art training until years later when I went to an art college.

Stick People

I was soooooo embarrassed! My first day at the art college was absolutely horrifying. I hadn't even taken art in high school and here I was drawing and painting next to many very talented and trained students. What was I doing here??? And to top it off we were drawing and painting real people! I guess I expected a bowl of fruit to start out with. Not only were they real, but they were nude! What was I doing here??? I had already paid my money. What to do? Well, I took a deep breath and came back the next day only to endure the critique experience. At the end of each class we lined our drawings and paintings up side by side against the wall and talked about each one. Oh my! My people looked like they hadn't eaten in 40 day and 40 nights, or even longer!

I did settle in, settle down and was finally able to draw people - with muscles and features. Yea! I also learned about the history of art, color theory, design, perspective, composition, graphics, sculpture, photography and much more. I still had a lot of catching up to do, but I loved to create and make art. My major was studio art - drawing and painting, no regrets, but. . .

Life Goes On

. . .once finished with my schooling, I found I had to make money to live. Not an easy thing to do making art - drawing and painting! I have a card displayed in my studio that says: "Be an artist. Make $5 to $10 a week . . ." Absolutely true - at least at that point of my life. So, I worked at the Cenex headquarters updating their hardware catalog. I really did enjoy that job, and I met David there, but our entire department was laid off. So, I then worked at a law firm. I really did enjoy that job too, but I then got married. A year later we had our first child. When he was seven weeks old, we packed our truck and car to the roof and headed off to St. Louis - David was going to Seminary to become a pastor. How fun! An other new adventure. . . which wasn't always easy. . . but we also loved St. Louis and our daughter was born there! She was born two years into David's sem studies. When she was only 3 months old we shipped off to Oregon for our third year, David's internship. We loved Oregon too, it's so beautiful and we really hated to leave because my mom, stepdad, sister and nephew live out there. I worked odd jobs during David's four years at sem, but mostly became a stay-at-home mom. I was able to take some time to do art, but life was very busy.

Back at It!!!

Presently I work out of my home studio in New London, MN. We have lived here for 14 years and believe it or not, we love it here too! We have 20 acres, an old farmhouse that we had moved 50 miles - that was quite a sight seeing a 3-story farmhouse tootling down the road! We have a garden - I tell David to give me some plants and a hose to water them (without mosquitos of course) and I'm happy! We would love to get a few chickens to feed, and a couple of cows, some goats for David, a horse or two for the kids, and other assorted animals. There I go daydreaming again . . . apparently my daydreams have forgotten just how much work animals are!

New London has a very active artist community. I have finally had the time to get back into doing my art regularly. In addition to painting, the past couple of years I've taken up wheel thrown pottery. It's like being a kid again making mud pies only more fun because you can actually use what you make! I also give private art classes. Kids are so creative. They teach me so much about art. They help me to see with a new, more creative artistic eye. I have recently developed Whimsical Daydreams, a product line of greeting cards and whimsical style jewelry. I am working on licensing and marketing this line beyond my immediate neighborhood. Look for my line soon in your local stores!!!

Contact:
5126 Co Rd 40 NE
New London, MN 56273
violetdauk@tds.net

All pictures on this site are © Violet Dauk, and not to be reproduced.
Updated January 15, 2008