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Rosie O'Donnell, born in 1962 in Commack, Long Island, is best known as a multi-talented celebrity of the stage, screen and television; a present day renaissance woman. A tireless philanthropist for needy children, Ms. O'Donnell, a comedienne, former talk show host, actress, author, and the winner of 13 Emmy Awards, Ms. O'Donnell is also a passionate abstract expressionist artist. After the September 11th disaster in 2001, O'Donnell was so overwhelmed with emotion that she was compelled to begin expressing her feelings on canvas. "A 'soulquake', the tremendous toxins released during 9/11 spilled out of me onto the blank stretched whiteness." Fascinatingly, O'Donnell has the capability of transferring her talents into yet another creative direction, namely painting, with shear intensity and complete abandon. Attacking the canvas with a ferocity and with a freedom of inhibitions, she often intersperses words or statements with her images. And, O'Donnell frequently incorporates found objects into her intriguing compositions; fragments of photos, nails, wire, newspaper clippings, plastic, wood, etc. anything to help her expel her innermost thoughts and transfer them onto her canvasses. Compared favorably to the renowned neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat, O'Donnell combines graffiti with collage, and exhibits a similar raw nerve of expression. They both have an innate inventiveness that results in a collection of works that are at once innovative, controversial and thought provoking. The canvas for these artists becomes an outlet for their angst, their politics and their passions. At the same time, O'Donnell has directed her celebrity to grander and nobler causes; she has become a crusader for children, establishing the 'Rosie's for All Kids Foundation" in 1997. Since its inception, this foundation has raised more than $60 million and awarded more than $27 million dollars in grants to over 1,400 child-related non-profit organizations to benefit low income families across the country. In 2005, Ms. O'Donnell established a fund to provide $3 million dollars to children and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. In May 2007, Time Magazine named Rosie O'Donnell one of the one hundred most influential people in the world for their "Time 100" cover story. Ms. O'Donnell's pieces are electrifying and original and new to the abstract art scene. In addition, this selfless benefactor is donating her portion of the proceeds from the sale of her artwork to "Rosie's for All Kids Foundation". |