How I Work
Inspired by
The Hummingbird
The Hummingbird: A Role Model
Hummingbirds are tiny yet extraordinary—shimmering, resilient, and powerful, far beyond their size.
I have admired them for decades for their beauty, stamina, agility, and adaptability. Though some weigh less than a nickel, they migrate thousands of miles each year and can hover, pivot and even fly backward with effortless grace. When exhausted, they enter a brief state of torpor, slowing their metabolism to restore themselves.
Like Shakespeare's "little but fierce” Hermia, hummingbirds embody strength and determination. Despite only living on sweet nectar, the hummingbird jubilantly moves from blossom to blossom, as if tasting the sweetness of life itself.
In its tireless brilliance,
it offers us a model of optimism,
courage, and devotion to a life fully lived.
Playing with Poetics
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS
I stop.
I look.
I notice the details.
I’m entranced by what I see —
awed by its elegance, its distinction.
Look at this, I think.
I want others to see it too.
To pause.
To feel their senses awakened —
even for a moment.
To share in the joy of discovery
that has so thoroughly touched me.
My Strategies
Sometimes I am bold and daring.
Sometimes celebratory and lighthearted.
At times I am energized
by the cacophony
of busy, crowded, bustling city streets.
Other times I lean into the somber.
The sober.
The dark and ominous.
And yet beneath these shifting moods
runs a constant thread —
a vibrant fascination,
a hunger for what dazzles the senses
and stirs the imagination.
I am continually drawn to
the visible world
and its myriad expressions,
searching for the electric current
running through things.
photo by Donna Arking
Color, Primarily.
I adore color.
I am in love with color.
I have had a lifelong romance with color.
Colors that pop.
Colors that slide.
Colors that erupt.
Primary.
Secondary.
Tertiary.
Bright and drab and everything between.
Stripes. Bursts. Beams.
Warm. Cool.
Tints and shades.
Yes —
you could say
I’m obsessed with color.
photo by Donna Arking
My Favorite Things
Reflections
Late afternoon light
Salt marshes
Spider webs
Storm clouds
Crashing waves
Teal blue
Cerulean blue
New fallen snow
The grace of old trees
Granite boulders
Driftwood
Queen Anne’s Lace
Delphinium
Iris
Wheat fields
Cottage gardens
Taking Notice
I love to walk in the woods
and come upon beauty unnoticed.
A single tiny bloom
positioned to receive just enough sunlight—
bright blue,
nestled in green velvet moss,
sheltered by a boulder
that has been there forever.
It is the ever-changing play of light and shadow,
the way brightness dances across surfaces.
It is how vibrant colors advance
and muted tones recede —
this becomes the emotional language
conveyed on my canvas.
So, why the hummingbird?
Resilient, radiant, savoring life.
“To me, the quest for beauty is a deliberate protest against cruelty, apathy, violence,
destruction, and suffering.”
Donna Arking
Donna’s Story
At six years old, I already knew I wanted to be an artist. Encouraged by my grandmother and inspired by generations of New England makers, I grew up drawing, painting, and creating by hand. Summers spent in Rockport — surrounded by ocean light, rugged coastline, and a thriving artist community — deeply shaped my artistic sensibility and led to my first plein air painting lessons as a child.
I later studied at Alfred University, attended the renowned Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and completed my BFA at Kansas City Art Institute.
After graduation, I moved to New York’s emerging SoHo arts district, where I immersed myself in the energy of a rapidly evolving creative community. Living modestly in a loft studio, I devoted myself fully to painting while gaining a deeper understanding of both the possibilities and challenges facing women artists at the time.
Eventually, I chose to pursue a parallel career in clinical social work, building a long-standing private practice, specializing in family therapy and neurodevelopmental disorders, while continuing to nurture my creative life. Travel and exposure to regional art communities across the country broadened my perspective and reaffirmed my commitment to making art on my own terms.
Today, my work reflects a lifelong devotion to color, emotional expression, craftsmanship, and nature — shaped by decades of observation, creativity, and human connection.