Walking into Cincinnati artist Dawna Boehmer’s home is like walking straight into a gallery of color and imagination. Sitting in the entryway is a large painting of a young girl sitting in her room surrounded by a soccer ball and guitar, ballet slippers, a spaceship – all things that represent a child’s dreams, says Boehmer. After all, what child doesn’t want to be a famous athlete, musician, dancer or astronaut?
Once called a “sarcastic Norman Rockwell” by a critic, Boehmer enjoys telling stories with her artwork. The characters in Boehmer’s paintings exude playfulness in witty interactions and charming expressions. Boehmer’s paintings feature life-sized portraits focused on human interactions and moments those people share. “Galleries suggest that I paint women from the back or with hats covering their faces, but I think that facial expressions help to convey the stories in my paintings,” says Boehmer.
A charming portrait of Boehmer’s husband hangs in the kitchen, across from the living room filled with bright, bold and humorous figure paintings and even a fantasy illustrative piece. Boehmer has always been interested in working with her hands, starting with oil paintings in seventh grade. She began taking private art lessons the following year. Boehmer was the 2017 winner of the William Duebber Artist Award for “Please Control Your Animal.” The William Duebber Award is sponsored by Steve and Kim Wanamaker in honor of Kim’s late father, who was an artist himself. Some of Boehmer’s works include “Great Expectations,” “The World Awaits,” and the widely popular “The ABC’s of Cincinnati.”
For more information, contact dawna@dawnaboehmer.com or visit www.dawnaboehmer.com