Meet Dodi Truenow
BIOGRAPHY
Growing up on a muck farm in Lake Jem, this 4th generation Florida native developed a deep rooted love & respect for the land early in life. From the time she learned to walk, Dodi has been captivated by the magical & mysterious outdoors. The barefooted child’s fearless steed Prince, a Shetland pony, and faithful companion Puppy, a golden lab, accompanied her on bareback adventures. Together they explored old oak hammocks & wild wetlands, seeking the many creatures that dwell within. On the walls of her childhood home, hung oil paintings created by her mother before Dodi’s birth. Sharing her mother’s passion, Dodi started expressing her art by drawing in the sugar sand with clumsy little fingers. In kindergarten, her teacher entered a chalk landscape into the Mt. Dora Art Festival and it won a beautiful blue ribbon that was almost as big as she was. After being voted most talented of her high school’s graduating class, Dodi put down her drawing pencil and set off to the University of Florida in pursuit of a successful career. Years later, nearing the birth of her first son, she scaled back on her busy career and picked up the drawing pencil once again. Her art education comes from studying at Mt. Dora Center for the Arts and Crealde, as well as attending workshops and reading. She was introduced to painting outdoors by the Central Florida Plein Air artists combining her love of being outside in nature and her impressionistic style of painting. Dodi has been a poster artist for the Mt Dora Art Festival, city of Mt Dora mural artist and has won awards in many plein air events including Mt Dora's Plein Air in the Fall. This award winning local artist's primary medium is oil but she also creates with acrylic and watercolor. When people grow up, they often lose touch with their childhood visions of awe & wonder. Painting from life en plein air has given Dodi the opportunity to once again see the world with new eyes. Whether it's a landscape, street scene, still life, or portrait, her hope is to express through paint, the beauty and mystery inherent in all things. |