About Don
Born in Greenfield, Indiana, I was raised on a 200-acre farm in Indiana. My dad, brother and myself were always hunting, fishing and exploring the outdoors. We lived on a working farm where we raised different animals, both domestic and wild. We did wildlife rehabilitation and then 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. With my sketch pad and pencil close by, I was always ready and in hopes an animal would come up on us.
Stretching myself further, I would sit and sketch old barns, etc. They had great texture, dimension, depth and it fascinated me as they had stood for so many years, weathering storms and time.
From a young age, I have been a self-taught artist and my family saw that I was determined to draw, so they encouraged me to develop my talent. I went on to take art classes throughout my school years and won many art competitions, local and national. As an adult, I have entered several state and federal competitions. A few of my pieces went on to be shown in Washington D.C. and have traveled across America.
My personal life has been blessed beyond measure. My wife, Sharlene, and I just celebrated our 40th anniversary. We have one son, Todd, who is married to Juliann. We have 3 grandchildren, Kylen, Paisley and Kyrklee and two bonus grandchildren, Domanic and Charles. My family is the high-light of my life. Sharlene and I travel across the country so I can get photo reference with our little Cava-poo, Ellie Mae always right by our side.
Professionally, I have been a Senior Artist/illustrator/Graphic Designer for the past 35 years producing art for various companies. Several years of that time, I created product for Peanuts, Disney, Hanna Barbera, Warner Bros., and Garfield. In the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to design in the outdoor markets for Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's, Legendary Whitetails, Mossy Oak and Ducks Unlimited along with many others. Being a traditional artist and having worked in the art industry has helped me to adapt to the digital world as well.
Needing reference for my paintings and illustrations, sometimes wildlife moves too quickly and all I’m left with is the memory of what I just experienced, so I began doing my own photography with my camera. I started researching different places that would benefit me greatly and 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 on a North Carolina beach that gets my artistic juices flowing and always 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, maybe canoeing a calm river, or sitting by a warm campfire listening to a fox bark across the way. It doesn’t matter either way because 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.