Biography

Donna Leslie Retkin Kerbel resides in Forest Hills, New York. She graduated with a degree in fine arts from Queens College. Donna studied briefly with George Wexler, the famous landscape painter at The State University of New York at New Paltz. Wexler greatly changed her life by starting her on a journey to paint “en plein air.” She now paints landscapes of the Western Berkshire Mountains, Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine, her borough of Queens and of Israel. Her work also includes portraits. She has been painting in the atelier of Marla Korr, an accomplished landscape and marine painter, since 2007. She also paints with David Lussier on Monhegan Island in the summer.

Donna is an elected member of the American Artists Professional League. Her works have been in their 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th and 90th Grand National Show. She is a member of The Top Brush Artist’s Society and is the group administrator. Her work recently has been in a shows at the gallery L’Atelier in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and in the gallery of Behold New Lebanon in New Lebanon, New York. Donna holds a degree in film production from the New School for Social Research and has a love of photography. She has designed jewelry as well. Donna now dedicates her life to painting and her favorite thing is to drive “north” and discover new vistas.

The keen eye of Donna’s mother Jeanne, a fashion designer and painter, set in motion her love of art. In her youth, fine fabrics, couture design and fashion renderings surrounded her. She is married to Joseph, a businessman born in Poland, who lived in Israel and eventually came to the USA. They have a daughter Mia, a singer and actress.