woman with leaves

At the age of twelve, after being particularly struck by a "Rousseau":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Rousseau painting at the "Museum of Modern Art":http://www.moma.org/ in New York, Doretta Bendalin knew she wanted to be an artist. She went on to study art at the University of Texas and earned her Master's from Pratt Institute in New York.

Her work is vibrant, warm and whimsical, featuring landscapes, still life, portraiture and figurative compositions.

Bendalin has studied under several well-known artists including "Charles Reid":http://www.charlesreidart.com/display/supplementalpages/biography.cfm, "Dong Kingman":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Kingman and "Millard Sheets":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_Sheets. Her work can be seen at galleries and institution across the Southwest and has won numerous awards, including several Juror's Awards from the New Mexico Watercolor Society, where she is a signature member.