About Don
I was raised on a 200-acre farm in Indiana where I grew up hunting, fishing and exploring the outdoors. We lived on a very active farm where we raised different animals, both domestic and wild. We did wildlife rehabilitation, nursed them back to health and returned them to the wild. My love for animals and the environments that they live in, is what motivated me to start drawing at 8 years old. I would always keep my drawing pad and pen (or pencil) with me, so I could sketch when I came up on an animal. I would also sit and sketch old barns, etc., as they would fascinate me as I loved the texture, dimension and depth of them after standing for so many years and weathering storms and time.
My family saw that I was determined to draw, and they encouraged me to develop my talent. I went on to take Art classes throughout my school years and entered (and won) many art competitions. As an adult, I have entered several state and federal competitions as well. A few of my pieces went on to be shown in Washington D.C. I have had several pieces of my art to be seen across America.
Professionally, I have been a Senior Artist/illustrator/Graphic Designer for the past 35 years producing art for various companies. I did character design work for several years, creating product for Peanuts, Disney, Hanna Barbera, Warner Bros., and Garfield. In the past 15 years, I have designed in the outdoor markets for Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's, Legendary Whitetails, Mossy Oak and Ducks Unlimited along with many others. I am a traditional artist but having worked in the art industry, I have adapted to the digital world as well.
Needing reference for my paintings and illustrations, I have learned that sometimes wildlife moves too quickly and that all I’m left with is the memory of what I just experienced, so I began doing my own photography using my camera with a good zoom lens. Locally, I would go to zoos and wildlife parks to get my reference. Then I started researching different areas that would benefit me greatly, so I started traveling across much of the United States & Canada taking photos that would inspire me for a new painting. There is something about being outside in nature, listening to wolves howl in Minnesota, a loon's lonely cry on a lake in Maine, standing in awe at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, maybe watching a bison walking on the open plains of South Dakota or just sitting by the ocean listening to the waves in North Carolina that gets my artistic juices flowing with my sketchpad and pencil in hand...or my camera snapping away.
I have a great appreciation for wildlife and I love being out and about with the animals. Walking through a bog in the boreal forest of Minnesota, hiking in the Smoky Mountains listening to an Elk bugle or watching a mama bear with her cubs, canoeing a calm river, or sitting by a warm campfire listening to a fox bark across the way. Being out in Gods creation and enjoying His art pallet reassures me that I have chosen the correct path for my life-long dream and I'm working hard to make that happen.