Donna
Coley-Trice

🌹Artist · Filmmaker · Poet

Paintings

Donna’s paintings celebrate spirituality, mysticism, and positive Black identity — from cosmic symbolism to reflections on history and self.

Thru Her EyeLuchie's BootsHeavenly SlumberRoses & LemonsMother NatureHeavenly KissFragmented Queen/WomanBest Friends ForeverThe Blood & the Living WaterSunshine Feels
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Film & Media

Donna co-founded Lens Ambition in Jamaica, where she co-wrote, produced, and acted in short films including Rolling Calf…Blood Invitation. She later launched her own series, Positively Jamaican, beginning with the documentary Barber for Life, which highlights the culture and community of Jamaican barbers. Her film work blends social commentary with storytelling, amplifying voices and traditions often left unheard.

About ME

I’m Donna Coley-Trice, a DC-based artist, poet, and filmmaker. For more than thirty years in Hillcrest, I’ve used story and symbol to honor Black identity and everyday sacredness. My paintings draw on African mythology and spirituality—moons and suns sharing the same sky, natural hair flowing into night and sea, and recurring emblems like the lotus, monarch butterfly, and koi that speak to growth, transformation, and perseverance. I’m interested in images that invite reflection and restore dignity: quiet power, tenderness, and resilience at the center. Recent work engages mental health, faith, and the lived experiences of women, including pieces confronting domestic violence. The same impulse runs through my film work: to witness, uplift, and spark positive change. Whether on canvas or on camera, I want the work to feel like possibility.

Bio

Donna Coley-Trice is a Washington, DC–based artist, poet, and filmmaker who has lived in the Hillcrest community for more than three decades. Her work centers positive Black imagery and explores African mythology, spirituality, and identity through symbolic narratives—natural hair merging with the cosmos, the sun and moon in dialogue, and recurring emblems such as the lotus, monarch butterfly, and koi. She co-founded Lens Ambition in Jamaica and co-wrote/produced the short film Rolling Calf… Blood Invitation; her solo documentary Barber for Life launched the ongoing Positively Jamaican series. Recent paintings engage themes of mental health, faith, and the resilience of women, including work addressing domestic violence. Across media, Coley-Trice’s goal is to inspire, educate, and spark positive change.

Contact Me

For art inquiries, collaborations, or speaking engagements.