Award-winning La Jolla artist Dottie Stanley was so inspired by a trip to Kenya and her interaction with the nomadic Masai people five years ago that she was determined to portray the rich tribal culture through her artwork at home. Not only was she able to accurately portray the Masai people, their brightly colored clothing and handmade jewelry, she was able to capture the soul of the Masai people — particularly those of the women and their strong sense of purpose. Stanley said the women in the villages do the majority of the hard labor — building huts and furniture, cooking the food and, most importantly, having as many children as possible. “The women were so impressive to me. My heart goes out to them because, in spite of everything, they really want to stand out and look beautiful,” she said. “I like to portray different kinds of hardships in a beautiful way.” In Stanley’s Africa collection, she does just that. She also works to counter those hardships in African countries by contributing her talent and stunning artwork for a good cause. This year, Stanley partnered with Olive PR Solutions and Feeding the Soul Foundation to help benefit “Olive Us Deserve To Learn,” a yearlong campaign to benefit the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania (IEFT). IEFT is a community-collaborative organization that is dedicated to providing quality, affordable education to under-served children in Tanzania, where less than five percent of Tanzanians have access to secondary education. Stanley held an artist reception at the Pimento Fine Art Gallery at Olive PR Solutions on Aug. 10, where 30 percent of the proceeds benefited the program. She also donated a painting from her Africa collection for the auction. “Education is a big thing with the Africans, they really crave it. There are start-up schools everywhere,” Stanley said. Goals of the campaign include raising $100,000 to fund Orkeeswa Secondary School’s new computer science classroom, teaching staff, school lunches and other equipment and bringing volunteer ambassadors to the school to break ground on its new campus. “Education is perhaps the best, most reliable long-term solution to poverty in the developing world. Time and again, experts say that educating children, especially girls, is the key to ending the cycle of poverty, has positive effects on birth rates, sanitation, HIV/AIDS exposure and the education of future generations,” said Jennifer Borba von Stauffenberg, president of Olive PR Solutions and co-founder of the campaign. “We are super inspired to support this organization because we all believe that everyone deserves access to education.” Stanley, who regularly uses her artwork to benefit charities, was awarded a 2007 Living Legacy Award from the Women’s International Center and was named one of Kennedy Publishing’s 200 best oil painters in the country. For more information about the “Olive Us Deserve to Learn” campaign and upcoming events, visit www.feedingthe- soulfoundation.org or call (619) 955-5285. For more information about Dottie Stanley or to view her collections, visit www.dottiestanley.com, call (858) 456-3960 or visit her studio at 7602 Fay Ave.
