About the Artist
Alice Dobbin
American Impressionist
Alice Ann Dobbin, has been drawing and painting since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She was born in a working-class, multi-ethnic neighborhood of first and second generation immigrants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As an only child, she amused herself with drawing and writing. She grew up in a household of self-taught craftsmen. Her grandfather was a carpenter and made beautiful violins. As a child, she was taught the art of “pysanki”, which involved the application of intricate wax designs on eggs. Throughout her school years, her innate talent was obvious. She was selected to attend special classes for the artistically gifted at Carnegie Mellon University while still in elementary school.
A gifted writer as well, she graduated with a degree in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and won numerous graphic awards in the field of communications. She later obtained her art degree from Washington and Jefferson College where she graduated magna cum laude and was honored with the prestigious Beta Scholar designation by the president of the college. Former Art History professor, Hugh Taylor, called her one of the most significant art historians he had known and described her style at that time, as reminiscent of Impressionist painter, Mary Cassatt.
Dobbin was an adjunct professor of art at Washington and Jefferson College for several years and also taught art at high school and elementary levels. She pioneered and successfully executed the integration of art history into the practical arts curriculum at all grade levels. She has also worked as a private consultant in art and graphic design. For the past thirty years, she has focused on
her profession as an oil painter. She has also authored two books. For more than a decade, she and her husband owned and operated several art galleries in Charleston.
Although Dobbin currently works exclusively with oils, her extensive body of work includes etchings, mezzotints, watercolors and pastels. She paints in an impressionistic style, often using heavy impasto applied with the palete knife. While aiming for an overall loose interpretation, she uses small amounts of detail to emphasize the focal point. She trancends conventional realism with her soft and lyrical paintings. Her light infused landscapes evoke a feeling of tranquility that is almost spiritual and invite the viewer to share her passion and reverence for nature. In her wildlife scenes, she evokes the personality of each creature. While playfully abstracting the environment, she emphasizes the eye as the “window of the soul.”
Dobbin has refined her classical skills by studying with contemporary masters, but her earliest artistic influence was Eugene Delacroix, a French Romantic Realist who preceeded and influenced the impressionists. She was intrigued by his ability to convey emotion and character as well as his emphasis on color, motion and expressive brush strokes. Aspects of his Baroque elegance can often be seen in her work.
Her unique approach is the culmination of lifelong influences. After college, she was fascinated with abstraction, producing paintings in the manner of Picasso. She later developed a sensitivity to the simple forms in nature. following a move from city to the country, and her work gradually became more realistic. During the study of printmaking under Paul Edwards, former Chairman of the Art Department at Washington and Jefferson College, she returned to her love of detail, influenced by etchings of Rembrandt and the technical skill of Michelangelo. She bought a huge etching press from the college and immersed herself in that process for several years. Her painting, however, reflected more and more of the color and brushwork of the impressionists. "I believe that the viewer should be able to feel the artist’s energy and see the process of painting. The combined use of palette knife and detailed brushwork contribute to this visual and emotional experience."
Dobbin has refined her classical skills by studying with contemporary masters, but her earliest artistic influence was Eugene Delacroix, a French Romantic Realist who preceeded and influenced the impressionists. She was intrigued by his ability to convey emotion and character as well as his emphasis on color, motion and expressive brush strokes. Aspects of his Baroque elegance can often be seen in her work.
Her unique approach is the culmination of lifelong influences. After college, she was fascinated with abstraction, producing paintings in the manner of Picasso. She later developed a sensitivity to the simple forms in nature. following a move from city to the country, and her work gradually became more realistic. During the study of printmaking under Paul Edwards, former Chairman of the Art Department at Washington and Jefferson College, she returned to her love of detail, influenced by etchings of Rembrandt and the technical skill of Michelangelo. She bought a huge etching press from the college and immersed herself in that process for several years. Her painting, however, reflected more and more of the color and brushwork of the impressionists. "I believe that the viewer should be able to feel the artist’s energy and see the process of painting. The combined use of palette knife and detailed brushwork contribute to this visual and emotional experience."
When asked what drives her as an artist, here is her response. "For me, there is an inherent need to paint; to create. It existed since childhood. The love of nature inspires me to share my vision and passion on canvas. When I encounter a scene that stirs my soul, I'm inspired to convey these emotions through my God-given talents. The canvas challenges me to ignore the world’s negativity and to focus on the higher things in life: beauty and simplicity and the wonder of God’s creation.
Painting is my personal quest for peace and embodies my desire to accomplish something good. As I work, I am conscious of the colors, lines, composition and subject matter that emphasize peace and tranquility. Each work becomes an emotional release. Energy, passion and a connection to a sense of place are intermingled with the oils. "
Painting is my personal quest for peace and embodies my desire to accomplish something good. As I work, I am conscious of the colors, lines, composition and subject matter that emphasize peace and tranquility. Each work becomes an emotional release. Energy, passion and a connection to a sense of place are intermingled with the oils. "
Alice Dobbin is a member of the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, American Artists' Professional League, Women Painters of the Southeast and formerly, a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation. She has been featured in American Art Collectors Magazine, Charleston Style & Design, and the 2012 edition of The Best in American Landscapes. Her work has been included in the Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition, Art of the Hunt, and she was the solo artist at the MacCallum More Museum in Virginia. She was also selected for the Oil Painters of America Salon of Traditional Oils in Petosky, Michigan and the 14th National Exhibition of the American Impressionist Society in Charleston, SC. Her work was also juried into the 2014 Women Painters of the Southeast annual exhibition in Greensboro, Georgia and her work was selected for the 2016 Charity Auction of the Birmingham Museum and the Richard Schmidt Invitational Fine Art Auction in Bellvue, Co. At the 2019 Picolo Spoleto Juried Exhibition in Charleston, she received the award for Best Painting.
She is an artist who believes in giving back to the community and through the years has donated work to help support local charities including the Barrier Island Free Medical Clinic, American Heart Association, Food Bank of Holy Spirit Church, Charleston Pet Helpers, and others too numerous to mention.
Her paintings currently grace the walls of prestigious homes from Rainbow Row in Charleston, and Governor’s Circle on Kiawah Island, to Boca Raton and Miami, Fla, Stamford CT, and throughout the US and abroad. Her collectors can be counted among doctors, legal firms, business owners, government officials and professionals from all walks of life and all parts of the world, including a former US president. Public collections include the Washington and Jefferson College Permanent Collection, the George Ranch Historical Park, Richmond, TX., Church Street Inn, Charleston, SC and Ellington at Wachesaw East Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC.
Her paintings currently grace the walls of prestigious homes from Rainbow Row in Charleston, and Governor’s Circle on Kiawah Island, to Boca Raton and Miami, Fla, Stamford CT, and throughout the US and abroad. Her collectors can be counted among doctors, legal firms, business owners, government officials and professionals from all walks of life and all parts of the world, including a former US president. Public collections include the Washington and Jefferson College Permanent Collection, the George Ranch Historical Park, Richmond, TX., Church Street Inn, Charleston, SC and Ellington at Wachesaw East Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC.
