I am primarily a colorist and whether the subject is a landscape or still life, color is the first element to which I respond.  Working out-of-doors “en plein air” is what I love best.  In fact, the ability to be in a particular place at a particular time, and respond in an immediate and very direct way is what is most satisfying to me as a painter.  Light- how it creates color and thus form- is what fascinates me technically.  Transposing my emotional response, via these elements, onto canvas is at the heart of my work. 

I choose to work in oils because of the lushness and responsiveness of the medium. My approach to a painting is what is traditionally known as “alla prima.”  It is a method developed by the Impressionists in the mid-19th Century that calls for a quick response to the subject.  Unlike older styles of oil painting, there is no under-painting or glazing involved   Painting “alla prima” is a quick, but very calculated approach.  It is the equivalent of arranging colored shapes in some kind of space onto a 2-dimensional surface– very abstract, really!

 In 1987, the artist moved to Warrenton, Virginia while pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree at George Washington University under the tutelage of William Woodward.  After graduation, she spent several years living and working in scenic Rappahannock County Virginia. 

  In 1992, Mrs. Dunnigan moved to Northern New Mexico in order to paint the brilliant light and saturated colors of the high desert.  While there she studied with the painter Wolf Kahn at the Santa Fe Institute of Art.  Since returning to Virginia in 1994, Mrs. Dunnigan has continued to work as an artist and teaches art to young people at Wakefield School in The Plains.