About the Artist

Don likes to say he is self taught, but that is not really the case. Being an US Air Force dependent he he was fortunate to spend his formative  teenage years in Wiesbaden, Germany and later Chateauroux, France. During that time he had two exceptional art teachers who recognized his natural abilities and not only taught him the advanced methods and practices of oil painting , but they both encouraged him to get outside and create from what he saw; to paint from direct observation. Don has continued that practice to this day.

After returning to the states and graduating from high school, Don's family situation required him to go to work and help support his mother. A college degree was not an option. He decided that he could at least continue to paint in his spare time and hone the skills that he had acquired in Europe. He took many classes and workshops along the way, studying oil painting, watercolors, pastels, pottery and most recently Don has been studying figuratively drawing and anatomy  at local workshops.

Don is now working full time at his art. The oil paintings and drawings that you see here represent the culmination of all of those years of experience. He still enjoys painting en plein air, but you will also find him working in his studio everyday, discovering something new and getting better and better.