Born Donna Jean Westcott of Rochester, New York. Now in Buffalo Dona Jean Michelini I am owning many names, my Art and Age!
My Art started expressing itself in childhood when I would sit at the kitchen table or in school. At the age of about 8 years old I received scholarships to Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery. One summer as I placed my heavy gray news print on my easel, outside of the Gallery on the law in the shade, I was surprised by the news wanting to take a photo of myself and my painting. (See photo to the left). The then Democrat and Chronicle published one of the first color photos. I must have been 11 or 12. When my mother saw the photo her first remark was your clothes don’t match. My mother had a great fashion sense. Childhood was filled with Art, Dance, and Music. As I entered my teens I sang a lot, some of the songs were mine or listening to Musicals at my God Parents. As I began High School it was a time of Beatles and experiencing an era of American Bandstand! Loved to dance and sing! Tonight I wished as I showed my Artistic life to experience some of all of that, although, I’m afraid my voice has shifted to poetry and not singing. Although it is on my list!
Always wanting to be in the center of attention and an actress, I decided my name was had to be change. I became D.J. West. My mother being a power force in childhood always told me I should have been Donna with one “N”. She didn’t have the ware hall to change it for she became a widow in 1951. She then became one of an uncommon reality of working mothers and Art was a wonderful way for me to support my mother’s need to relax after work. My mother a dynamic woman promoted my Art. When she died in 1998, as a tribute to her, I changed my name to Dona with one “N”.I have explored other names in my years, one: Donna Michaels.DBA as a Photographic Stylist for Stills and TV Commercials. My Art continued as I propped sets and created where I had to fill in the blanks for Advertising Agencies. Donna Michelini was not going to be receiving as I perceived. Commercial and advertising work needs to be short and memorable. Donna Michaels can be spelled easily as well.
I’d like to say this Art Show welcomes the life surrounding me with my various forms of medium. Enjoy my Show and presentation of Personality expressed through Art: From the 70’s to the 70’s a celebration expressed and given form. My home, husband and child have been a part of my Artistic form, while I never became a working artist except in my home and garden and forms during schooling. I have now expressed and honored my past as a focus and gift to me as I face my aging years and enter a new decade. This is a chapter (a lot of chapters) to proceed into whatever my path allows: perhaps through my Twitter account where another name expressed as DonaAmber where I write poetry and other writing venues. This is where I imagine I will continue is in writing.
