Donna Cruce Kocka Biography
Born and raised in a southern family, Donna has been drawing since she could hold a pencil. Donna Cruce Koćka, BFA, University of Tennessee (1986), is a Staunton, VA resident. She is married and has three children, one beautiful grandson. Currently she is enjoying teaching homeschoolers in her Monday art classes at her new studio. When she is not teaching or painting, she leads group bible studies. She also loves to hike in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, read, walk in the park with her dog, travel and have tea with friends.
She began teaching art to children during her senior year of college. And along the way as Donna was raising her children she was painting portraits, murals, theater set design and construction, faux finishes and a little graphic design.
In 2011 she took a landmark oil painting class with Cedric Egeli, an internationally known colorist and portrait artist on Cape Cod. This outdoor portrait class began a new journey for her. She is fascinated with the effects of light and color and has since studied on the Cape again with Camille Prezwodek and at Maryland Hall with John Ebersberger. At the local Beverley Street Studio School she has taken classes with Elise Blake, Jeffery Stockberger and numerous classes with the renowned colorist, Ron Boehmer. Boehmer is recognized as one of Virginia's foremost landscape painters and has had a heavy influence on Koćka’s painting.
In the Springs of 2018 - 2022 she was represented at the Queen City Plein Air Festival. She has has been in numerous shows and festivals in and around the Shenandoah Valley. Her love for painting plein-air painting often draws her outdoors to the beautiful Virginia countryside or to historic downtown Staunton. She also spends time at her studio and gallery, IagoArts, near downtown Staunton.
Donna is currently painting outdoor children’s portraits, landscapes and murals and is available for commission. She is drawn to her love for painting plein air in the beautiful Virginia countryside and in downtown Staunton. She also spends much of her time at her new studio, IagoArts, near downtown Staunton.
Donna is currently painting outdoor children’s portraits, landscapes and murals and is available for commission art work. Check out the link below to see her gallery of new work.
GALLERY
She began teaching art to children during her senior year of college. And along the way as Donna was raising her children she was painting portraits, murals, theater set design and construction, faux finishes and a little graphic design.
In 2011 she took a landmark oil painting class with Cedric Egeli, an internationally known colorist and portrait artist on Cape Cod. This outdoor portrait class began a new journey for her. She is fascinated with the effects of light and color and has since studied on the Cape again with Camille Prezwodek and at Maryland Hall with John Ebersberger. At the local Beverley Street Studio School she has taken classes with Elise Blake, Jeffery Stockberger and numerous classes with the renowned colorist, Ron Boehmer. Boehmer is recognized as one of Virginia's foremost landscape painters and has had a heavy influence on Koćka’s painting.
In the Springs of 2018 - 2022 she was represented at the Queen City Plein Air Festival. She has has been in numerous shows and festivals in and around the Shenandoah Valley. Her love for painting plein-air painting often draws her outdoors to the beautiful Virginia countryside or to historic downtown Staunton. She also spends time at her studio and gallery, IagoArts, near downtown Staunton.
Donna is currently painting outdoor children’s portraits, landscapes and murals and is available for commission. She is drawn to her love for painting plein air in the beautiful Virginia countryside and in downtown Staunton. She also spends much of her time at her new studio, IagoArts, near downtown Staunton.
Donna is currently painting outdoor children’s portraits, landscapes and murals and is available for commission art work. Check out the link below to see her gallery of new work.
GALLERY