Dawn Whitelaw is one of the artists in residence at On Track Studios in Franklin, Tennessee. The opportunity to paint “en plein air” with her artist colleagues adds richness and honesty to her studio work. Most of her formal instruction came from a long-term mentorship with New York painter, Everett Raymond Kinstler.Ms. Whitelaw is currently on the faculty of the Portrait Society of America, where she holds the office of Vice Chairman. She is a frequent instructor for Plein Air South and the Plein Air Convention. For over 25 years she taught painting as anadjunct instructor at David Lipscomb University. She continues to teach throughout the country by conducting workshops in oil painting principles and drawing. Dawn received 2nd place awards in the Door County Plein Air Festivalin both 2014 and 2015. In recent years, she has won awards in The Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, the Piedmont Plein Air Paint Out and in Plein Air Richmond.In 2012, 2013, and 2015, Plein Air Magazine included her work in feature articles. She was honored by The American Impressionist Society in 2016 when she was elected to Master status. Whitelaw was one of ten American women artists invited to exhibit in “Inspiring Figures” at the Butler Institute of American Art in 2010. She recently had a painting accepted into the permanent collection of the Rahr-West Art Museum.Artist's StatementI paint in response to something that “catches my eye.” I am looking for the moment when the light, atmosphere, or viewpoint displays the commonplace in an uncommonly interesting way. I try to capture this moment on canvas. Theprocess of painting, whether I am painting a portrait in my studio or painting in a field at dusk, is always exciting and challenging. As a painter, I am always a student, eager to learn more about my craft so I can speak more eloquently inpaint. My paintings, if nothing else, are an honest, emotional statement of what I see. Although my aesthetics are linked to the painters at the turn of the last century, I feel that I am a modern artist. What could be more modern than to paintin response to the world I live in?