Through visual allegories, metaphors and icons, MF Dondelinger observes the anxieties and motivations
of humanity in the West.
MF Dondelinger worked primarily in egg tempera and gold leaf however, since 2016 she has been swept up by sculpting with clay.
She was born in Auburn, California then moved to the northwestern United States where she earned her B.A. degree from Seattle University (1992). She was awarded a NEA Fast-Track grant through the Idaho State Arts Commission (1995) for her exhibit “A Place Called Ferdinand”, a series of oil pastel paintings about the demise of small towns focusing on a rural Idaho community. She also received an NEA Professional Development Grant from Washington State Arts Commission.(1997) She was awarded a position in the Florence Biennale in Italy (2007) with sponsorship from Ampersand Art Supply and private supporters.
Ms. Dondelinger served as director of Gallery One Visual Arts Center in Ellensburg, Washington (1997-2004) during which time she was responsible for a $1.2 million renovation and restoration of its historic building. Completion of the project and the death of her husband in 2002 led Ms. Dondelinger to re-direct her energies to her studio work. She currently has a studio in Arizona and Idaho.
In 2003 Ms. Dondelinger focused on the ancient tradition of orthodox religious iconography; its theology, history, materials and practice. She studied at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in central Idaho with iconographer Sr. Carolyn Miguel.(2003-4) In 2005 she apprenticed with master iconographer Fr. Gianluca Busi in Bologna, Italy and thereafter, he continued on-line education and critiques of her work. In 2006 she assisted Fr. Busi in the U.S as he worked and taught at St. Gertrude's. These crucial experiences have proven beneficial to the maturation and development of Dondelinger's contemporary work.
Over her career, Ms. Dondelinger has won numerous awards in local and regional exhibitions and is in many public and private collections in the United States.. Her work held a prominent space in the invitational exhibit GOLD in 2012 in Vienna, Austria at the Belvedere Palace Museum curated by Thomas Zaunschirm.
During a one month residency at Jentel Foundation (2009) in Wyoming, Dondelinger focused on synthesizing the antiquity of the iconography with concerns of modernity. Out of this residency came a series of works titled MODERN ICONS: Endangered Species which explores the human use and sacrifice of water, land and animals for a perceived human benefit. She uses materials of the ancient masters: gold leaf, rabbit skin glue, marble dust, and egg tempera and the basic concepts of sacred images. The subject matter is fueled and informed by her volunteer work regarding food security issues and education, the realities of water and her growing understanding of the land.
In 2016, Ms. Dondelinger started working in clay and put painting aside. Whether the materials are paint or clay, her work focuses on the sacredness of our environment and human connectedness.
