Marta Donayre's interest in the visual arts started at a very young age. When she was around seven years old, she asked her parents to enroll her in a correspondence drawing course. She was delighted when she received her first lesson, but the frustration of not having a teacher to ask questions of led her to abandon the endeavor. Ever since, she's convinced herself that she could not draw and abandoned her artistic pursuits.

 In addition to drawing, she adores writing, and began her first novel at age nine. Her parents encouraged her, but living in an overall unsupportive environment she was unable to thrive. The underlying message she received, whether intentional or not, was that in the end she would have to go to college and focus on a "solid" career. The arts were "fun," but the message she received from the broader society made her distance herself from the arts altogether.

Only when Donayre enrolled in a Master's program at Naropa University did her passion rekindle. She began to paint again, even though she had no formal education in the arts. Since then, she has become a prolific artist. 

Donayre considers herself a citizen of the world. She was born in Panama, raised in Ecuador, and has Brazilian citizenship. Her father was Peruvian, her mother Brazilian, and her brother and his family are Canadian citizens. Therefore, she likes to say that she’s the true Pan-American gal. Donayre also has Croatian, Italian, Portuguese and Quechua heritage. As a result of this mesh of identities, she reached the conclusion that “nationalism” usually hinders human interaction, and she hopes for a day when humans realize that our nation divides are false and that in reality we are all citizens of a large, round and rotating spaceship. Donayre is a well-regarded activist in the LGBT and immigrant rights communities. Her work has been deeply influential by these movements. Donayre’s work has been included in the following:

• The 2007 Rock Art Exhibit in Alcatraz Island.
• Cover of the Institutions of Mental Disease Training Manual of the California Institute for Mental Health.
• Collection of Stephanie Sayo and Jatill Antoine.
• Collection of David Nyblom.
• Collection of Matt Hargett and Geoff Huang.
• Collection of Janine Paver. 

 Marta Donayre can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it