Donna Barati grew up in Hawaii, a childhood filled with playing in bamboo forests, tidepools, and beaches, surrounded by tropical beauty. Her interest in colorful abstract art started early and was influenced, especially, by Monet and van Gogh, as well as expressionism. 

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Donna attended college at Hampshire College and U.C. Santa Cruz, then graduated from Sonoma State University with a B.A. in Humanities. Though Donna wanted to be a painter and poet, she started a gardening and landscaping business, expressing her love of color, nature, and design in the gardens where she worked.

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After a number of years raising a family, Donna has returned to painting, primarily using acrylics, incorporating both abstract and landscape elements in her art.