LaDonna Kruger was born in 1950 and is an Olympia, Washington artist working in soft pastels and acrylics. Her work crosses the boundaries between abstract and representational, but both draw from and are influenced by her affection for the region of the country in which she lives........sometimes including imagined scenarios of the typical Northwest coffee shops that she enjoys visiting.
After teaching private piano lessons for more than 20 years, LaDonna finally decided to pursue her love of art.. She graduated  from Central Washington University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting.. She has worked in many different mediums, but in 2008 LaDonna began her journey with soft pastels and  the love affair began! In 2013 LaDonna faced a surprising new challenge, the diagnosis of a choroidal melanoma in her left eye. She has had great doctors and with their treatment the tumor is now successfully in recession, but this has also meant the loss of most of the vision in her left eye. The exciting and encouraging outcome is that this loss has not affected her success or growth as an artist and her work not only continues but has improved and gained national and regional recognition over the years since facing this challenge.! LaDonna hopes to encourage others facing similar challenges to go for their dreams in spite of seeming setbacks.

LaDonna's work has been juried into regional and International exhibitions and has received many awards. She is a member of the Pastel Society of America, a Signature member of the Northwest Pastel Society, and a member of the Olympia Art League.

LaDonna's work can be found at American Art Company, 1126 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma WA, and Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA.