Artist in the spotlight: Clara Dohna
Allison Pritchard
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if you only try!” said the infamous writer and artist Theodore Geisel, known by many as Dr. Seuss.
Dr. Seuss’ unique word mixtures and psychedelic, colorful drawings are role models to many, especially Island artist Clare Dohna. Like Dr. Seuss, Dohna’s work is wonderfully intricate and anything but ordinary.
Dohna, an artist since she was five-years-old, specializes in mosaics and ceramic tile. Her most common art is made by firing small ceramic pieces, glazing them with bright colors, and putting the pieces on concrete or ceramic.
Dohna began this unique art in college at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore when a rather horrific event resulted in a beautiful ceramic work of art. For her senior project, Dohna made a giant, life-size pottery piece that she had been working on for months. But when she fired the pottery in her homemade kiln, it exploded into pieces. With the suggestion of her art teacher, Doug Baldwin, Dohna decided to glue all of the pieces back together and ended up loving it.
“It looked like an ancient relic that I had dug up in an archeological dig,” said Dohna. “I just got addicted.”
Dohna attended four years of college in Baltimore. There she became a sculpture major.
Now Dohna is self-employed, which she says is one of the highlights of her profession. She also loves that she can use her imagination.
“I can go downstairs and do whatever I feel like doing,” said Dohna.
However, like most jobs, there are a few downs in being an artist.
“There’s lots of trial and error,” said Dohna.
Being self-employed, Dohna explained that it isn’t always easy to sell her work and get it out to the public.
As for upcoming projects, Dohna will be working on a hobbit house in her yard to go along with the many ceramic pieces that decorate her garden. The house will sit in a small hole behind a rock wall.
Dohna’s other color and nature inspired works can be found at Island nursery DIG.