About me (Jacqueline Dunster)
Bio & Educational Background:
I am a native of Southern California. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing art. As a teenager, I was able to take private painting lessons with local artist Shirlee Prescott Morgan, and by my late teens was regularly selling celebrity portraits to movie aficionados (and occasionally to friends or associates of the celebrities).
Out of high school, I studied figure drawing and painting at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California, and studied painting and drawing from teachers such as Martin Mondrus and Robert Brown. Later, I went to Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles for several years, where I studied drawing, painting, and illustration from instructors like Burne Hogarth, Jim Morphesis, Barry Fahr, and Roger LaManna. I was especially keen to study anatomy and figure drawing and felt like I benefited greatly from my time spent at Otis. Then I returned to Glendale Community College to take more figure drawing classes (as I feel that an artist never “outgrows” the need for figure drawing), and found myself also becoming entranced with ceramics. I was especially interested in surface decoration, and would paint figurative images on my pottery.
Soon, my ceramic work was being featured in shops and galleries around the Los Angeles area, as well as being represented in various group shows and exhibitions, including Ink & Clay (with purchase award), a group show at Brand Library gallery in Glendale, and I had my work displayed at the Ansel Adams Gallery at Yosemite National Park.
Later, I moved from my home in Southern California to a place with pretty fall colors, but with winters that are too cold. But I am hoping to bloom where I’m planted and am currently enjoying painting, drawing, and of course doing more figure drawing.
Currently I am working in painting and drawing, with an eye towards possibly rediscovering ceramics again. I recently attended some classes and workshops with Adam Clague, which I have enjoyed and benefited from very much.
Galleries:
There are two places where my paintings are available for sale: DailyPaintworks, and my “sister” site at jacquelinedunster.com. DailyPaintworks is for smaller works and studies, and the prices reflect that, while my website has higher-priced, more complete works.
Awards & Shows:
Throughout most of my artistic career, I’ve not been actively seeking many awards, nor entering contests. I’m now trying to be a little more active in that area.
Some of my works were included in the NOAPS exhibitions in 2015 and 2016.
I got 3rd Place in Daily Paintworks monthly contest for July 2015.
I got “Best of Show” and 1st Place for Oils at the Raytown Artists Association Invitational, August 2015.
I’ve received several “Fav 15%” recognitions from the Bold Brush contest as well as getting some Honorable Mentions from the Jerry’s Artarama art contests.
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Obligatory social media accounts: J Dunster – Green Verdugo Artist (Facebook) | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
“Sister” websites (I try to link them all together):
- jdunster.com – my original, main site, I use this URL on all my business cards and post cards.
- jacquelinedunster.com – it’s easier to sell my paintings—and prints—using this art-focused web hosting platform. I also have a newsletter there. Be sure to sign up!
- greenverdugo.art – I ramble about art-related stuff (subjects of more interest to fellow artists) on this blog. I started this blog in 2023, so who knows where it’ll go.