DONNA J. CLARKE

November 25, 1948 - July 22, 2008

Donna Clarke, artist, wife, mom, grandma, and f riend sadly lost her battle with breast cancer July 22nd, 2008. Her artwork was not a career, she did it because she loved to, drawing was a passion. For that, we are thankful, as we have a great many pieces of wonderful artwork to remember her by.

----- Last Bio from the author -----

My love of art began as a child.  From the first time I picked up a pencil to present time I have drawn primarily people or animals, always beginning with the eyes, for the eyes tell the story.  I’ve dabbled in oils and water colors, but prefer pencil and colored pencil for the detail and dramatic effect provided.

My education in art was limited to basic academics from grade school through high school, which upon graduation was tabled when I chose to marry and raise a family.  Although I continued to draw or paint from time to time, it wasn’t until 1988 that I finally decided to take a drawing class at Edmonds Community college, and to again pursue my love of art.

Working full time and raising a family still didn’t afford me much time to draw so I didn’t start drawing seriously until 1992, after an auto accident forced me to take time off from work.  It was then that I began to enter juried art shows as well as doing commissioned portraits.  I was accepted as a contributing member and featured artist at Park Lane Gallery in Kirkland, Washington.

I’ve won third place in the Edmonds Art Festival in which the picture was sold, and have been continually accepted to their annual juried art show.  I’ve also been continually accepted to the Puyallup Fair juried art show and have won several awards, including third place.  I’ve recently started entering the miniature category as well, in which several of my pieces have been sold.

I briefly did freelance artwork for a Redmond based company, although it was financially rewarding, I didn’t enjoy drawing on demand and in the long run felt it would affect my love of art.  Through the years I have contributed a great deal of my artwork to various charitable organizations, such as Group Health Hospital, Woodland Park Zoological Society, and the Northwest Burn Foundation for their fundraiser's.

I currently reside in Renton, Washington.  I work full time as a manager in the retail jewelry business and draw as time allows.

This past year has been particularly challenging for me.  In June of 2005, I was diagnosed with metastatic cancer with an unknown source, which my oncologist is convinced is metastatic breast cancer.  It attacked my right femur causing it to fracture, so I underwent surgery to put a titanium rod and screws in it to keep it from breaking completely.  It was then radiated, but the radiation didn’t affect the source, so by Christmas the cancer had spread to my knee, both sides of my pelvic bones, my T2 and T10 vertebrae, and a rib under my right shoulder blade, causing fractures in all of those areas.  So, on December 28th of 2005 I started chemo.

I’m told there is no cure for my cancer as I started with stage four, and the general prognosis is three to five years.  I asked what the longest a person has lived with my particular form of cancer was and I was told sixteen years, so of course I intend to break that record.  The good news is that the chemo I’m on, which I go in for every two weeks, is working and my cancer is under control.  Who could as for anything more?

In the meantime, I continue to pursue my love of art.