Donnie Tapp grew up in Eastern Idaho, where he learned to value the rural landscape and appreciate the character of the many small towns in the area. As a youth his parents encouraged him to cultivate a love for drawing, and near the beginning of his undergraduate study at Brigham Young University-Idaho he began seriously considering a career in the arts. He earned a bachelors degree in Studio Art in 2014, dividing his time between sculpture, photography, and painting. In 2021 Donnie earned an MFA in oil painting from Academy of Art University. His work expresses his feelings for the landscape of his childhood home, where he has returned back to as an adult and enjoyed experiencing in a new light. He currently lives in Idaho Falls with his wife, Jamie, and daughters McKinley and Olivia.
Resume
Education
2021 MFA (Candidate) in Painting at Academy of Art University
2014 BS in Studio Art at Brigham Young University Idaho
Publications
2021 Southwest Art Magazine, October/November Issue, “The Space Between”, pp .26
Awards
2021 Academy of Art University Spring Show, Graduate Landscape Award
2020 Art Grows Rexburg, 1st Place Student Category
2020 Art Grows Rexburg, Merit Award Student Category
2014 Brigham Young University Idaho Student Show, 1st Place Sculpture
2014 Brigham Young University Idaho Student Show, 1st Place Photography
2014 Brigham Young University Idaho Student Show, 3rd Place Painting
Commissions
2020 Keila Poulsen, Taylor Mountain in Summer, oil on linen, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Idaho Falls, ID
2020 Brent Walker, Portrait of Lynn and Nedra Walker, oil on linen, Brent and Marylin Walker Residence, Garrison, NY
2019 Natalie Kraus, The South Fork of the Snake River, oil on linen, Kade and Natalie Kraus Cabin, Swan Valley, ID
Professional Experience
2014 Visual Art Lab Assistant, Brigham Young University Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho
2014 Lab Technician, theFINDlab, Orem, Utah