Meet Dorothea Sandra Art | Local, national, and international artist.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dorothea Sandra Art and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dorothea, what matters most to you?
I create art for happiness. Whether creating an abstract or a floral painting, I use my knowledge and talent to create art that makes people feel happy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I don’t always follow the rules in art. I have repeatedly been told that I need one brand/style, and I need to stick to it. Art just doesn’t come out of me this way. My first brand was a collection I called Lakeside Lovelies. I am evidence-based design (EDAC) certified, and in these paintings, I featured the local setting of Lake Huron in the background and placed an abundance of cheerful, happy, colorful flowers in front. My goal was not to create a beautiful work of art, but to create art that triggered brain chemicals for happiness. I continue to sell hundreds of these each year. My next brand was something I called Bubble Art. Usually on 36″x36″ canvases, I create a colorful display of quirky flowers, often using flower, circle, and unusual shapes. Again, the mood created by each piece is happiness. One painting I am particularly fond of is in the lobby of the Cancer Center at the MyMichigan Hospital in Alpena, Michigan. Staff, patients, family members tell me all the time how happy that painting makes them feel. My next big venture was an art series I call Symphonies Of Love. In this collection, with many of them sized at 6’x9′, I created a large heart filled with flowers. My goal for this series was to create a beautiful work of art that communicates love in a big way without triggering the brain with impact or stress. Collectors have also enjoyed my water movement and power abstract paintings that I do with palette knives. Throughout each collection, for the most part, people tell me HAPPINESS is what they feel when viewing my art I also wrote about my artistic journey in my book, 100 Days Of Happy Happy Art, Evidence-Based Design. Even though I have only shown my art since 2017, I’m starting to get noticed around the world. I have been in galleries, museums, exhibits, newspapers, magazines, on tv, and interviewed by a research lab at the Center for Applied Neuroscience, Pedersen Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In addition, I have a new abstract art series about Smart and Sustainable Cities, and just last week, the owner of a gallery in Sweden said this series caught his eye, he invited to me become an online and physical member of this gallery. All of this art and success has been created from my studio in a tiny, lakeside town in Northern Michgian.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have had friends visit the area, and I have taken them to Alpena, Michigan. I tell everyone that I think downtown Alpena is like an “authentic” arts town. Alpena is rich with murals, local shops, and fabulously talented local artists without any of the artsy commercialism. Twenty-six Viking Cruise Ships stop in Alpena, and their buses drop off visitors in the back parking lot with access to many of the shops and restaurants. The last time I was in Alpena with a new visitor, we went to the Thunderbay Arts Council & Gallery, where the artists must be juried in and are highly skilled. We then popped in two doors down to the Rusty Petunia and saw all their lovely home decor, kitchen gadgets, and clothing, many of them Michigan-made. Next, we walked two more doors over and visited the amazing Art In The Loft Gallery with its diverse local art from all generations. Last summer, from Art In The Loft, I sold a 6’x9′ painting to a Viking Cruise Ship visitor from Kansas City, Missouri. Every step of the way, the buyer was assisted by me and the gallery, from the sale to the framing in Kansas City to the delivery and installation on her wall, we made it happen. For food, there’s a restaurant on almost every corner. My favorite is Mango’s Tequila Bar. There’s a bar, but the indoor and outdoor tables are always packed with customers because the food is so authentic and delicious.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I was trained to paint professionally as a child. My favorite 25-book series was Time-Life’s “World Of Art” collection. Year after year, I would spend hours and hours looking at all the amazing art and reading about the different masters. As I got older, my Japanese in-laws inspired me to be fearless and venture into the unknown. Both from historically elite families, they were living examples of high culture, grace, and humility. My father-in-law’s famous saying was, “You can do it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Many years later, when I was ready to show my art, I kept their words in my heart. At first, I was met with an abundance of unkind criticism from competing artists, but I stood strong and ignored them. I am especially grateful to the many art lovers and galleries in Michigan, who immediately recognized my talent and, to this day, continue to support my art.

Website: https://www.dorotheasandraart.com

Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/in/dorotheasandraart

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/dorotheasandraart

Other: https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/dorothea-sandra-36937