Our featured artist for the month of January 2021 is Donna Barber-Schwefel.

“Donna was born in Tigerton nearly 92 years ago to a Norwegian mother who was an accomplished artist. She passed her love of the arts to the family of three girls. At age 13, she was mixing her dad’s house paints and painting on an old linen window shade.

By the age of 17, Donna was winning awards from art contests while continuing to gain more acclimates. In those days, art wasn’t in any of the school curriculums at any level, so her mother was the chief source of art instruction.

For 20 years she worked in this vein of art, attending outdoor markets, fairs in Milwaukee and home shows. She has been commissioned throughout her life to paint many things for people who love her work.

Now in the twilight years, she is enjoying a whole new range of styles and colors. Last year she developed a stylized rosemaling fantasy series in bright colors. Donna paints from memory and from photos, occasionally on sight, and from her own imagination, revealing a rainbow of paintings.

Her four children are also artists, and they are Gail Barber, of “Off The Wall Interior Design.” Faye Barber- Schmuhl, a life long Art teacher, Greg Barber who owns and operates Barber Graphix in Fond du Lac, and Joel Barber who paints and restores antique cars. Donna says they inspire her to keep going and are her best critics and advisers. She also adds that her husband makes it all possible. It is a delight to wake up with an acrylic painting waiting to be finished.”