La Jollan Dottie Stanley Brings Africa to Little Italy

The public was invited to an artist reception for Dottie Stanley’s latest collection on Wednesday night at Pimento Fine Art in Little Italy.

Stanley, who is the past president and a life member of the , will display her oil on canvas African Collection through Aug. 20. A portion of the sales will benefit the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania, an organization that provides quality and affordable education to underserved children in rural Tanzania, East Africa.

The Africa Collection was inspired by a two-week-long trip to the continent, said Stanley, part of which was spent in a Masai village. 

“I think people love to relate to them (the paintings) in some way,” Stanley said.

Her paintings are based on photographs of the people she saw and spent time with in Africa. The cultural differences, including the role of women and relationships between men and women that Stanley encountered, served as her inspirations for the collection.

“I was very moved by the spirit of the people,” Stanley said.

One of her favorites is her painting titled Soulmates, where two Masai men lean on each other, which Stanley said is very indicative of Masai culture. The Masai people primarily live in villages located in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

Thirty percent of the sales from Stanley’s collection will benefit the IEFT.

Jennifer Borba von Stauffenberg, president of Olive PR Solutions, which owns Pimento Fine Art, said that the IEFT hopes to raise $100,000 by July 2012.

Stanley, who primarily works as a financial adviser at Morgan Stanley, spends time working in her art studio in La Jolla almost every day after work and on the weekends. Although she makes most of her income through her finance job, she insists that her painting side gig is more than a hobby and that she has two careers.

“She’s exceptional,” her daughter Celia Sepulveda said.

In addition to balancing two careers, Stanley has collected numerous awards and accolades such as the Living Legacy Award from the Women’s International Center and being named as one of the top 200 oil artists in the country.

Stanley’s work will be on display at Pimento Fine Art at 350 W. Ash St., Suite 103, San Diego, through Aug. 20 and can be viewed by appointment.