Donna Ruane Rogers Shares Her Love of Life and Light
Every year the Phillips’ Mill Art Show Committee selects a “Signature Image” of the Mill to be used on posters, ads, postcards, social media and the website for the upcoming show. The 2024 Signature Image is “March Afternoon” by Donna Ruane Rogers of Frenchtown. The artist was inspired by the light and shadows on the Mill the day she decided to enter the contest.
When Donna Ruane Rogers heard submissions were being accepted for the Signature Image of the Mill for the 95th Annual Juried Art Show, she jumped right in the car. She knew it was an honor as well as an opportunity to be selected. She also knew it was the right time of day to capture the building in ideal lighting, a hallmark of her work as a painter.
“I got the email from the Mill about the competition about three o’clock in the afternoon. I wanted to get there and take some pictures while there was still some sunlight,” she recalls. “One of my goals as an artist is to faithfully depict my subjects and their interaction with natural light.”
Ruane Rogers was a career graphic designer before she found a creative outlet in pastel painting several years ago. Now retired from the corporate world, she actively paints her favorite places both in her home studio and en plein air around her residence in Frenchtown, Hunterdon County. She also captures beloved locations in southern New Jersey and along the Jersey shore.
“I was a visual communications major in college and worked as a graphic designer for years. It wasn’t until about six years ago that I started painting. I hadn’t done anything creative since I left college, and several of my friends encouraged me. Then in 2020, it hit me. I was at a workshop with Stan Sperlak. At the end, Sperlak talked about making the most of our time. It kept rolling around in my head. The next day, I called (work) and gave my notice.”
Ruane Rogers hasn’t looked back since. She has enjoyed a different kind of success and a sense of achievement as a visual artist. Her work has been exhibited in various venues, including the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ; Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville, NJ; Ocean City Arts Center in Ocean City, NJ; Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ; Hopewell Valley Winery in Pennington, NJ; West Windsor Arts in Princeton Junction, NJ; and The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, NJ.
Notably, her painting titled “Judy’s Garden” received an Honorable Mention at the Tewksbury Historical Society Art Show in 2023, specifically in the “Built Environment” category. Ruane Rogers is an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, where her work has been featured in artists’ showcases.
Last year, she had two works accepted as portfolio pieces at the Annual Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill. She remembers vividly what it felt like to stand in line outside the Mill on the day she first submitted work to the show last year. That feeling inspired “March Afternoon,” the Signature Image for this year’s show.
“I remember waiting in line to bring my work inside. My heart was racing a little bit. You are looking at everyone else’s work,” she says. “When I found out my painting was chosen as the Signature Image, it blew me away. It is such an honor. The Phillips’ Mill Juried Art Show is the pinnacle for artists in the area.”
