About Don

Using a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera to make black-and-white family photographs, Don started his journey as a visual artist at the age of ten. A Virginia native who grew up surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, he treasured the natural beauty of his home state and began using photography as a way to express his devotion to his beloved environment.

While serving as both photographer and editor of his college newspaper, Don broadened his experience and interest in art in general and photography specifically. After graduation, he worked briefly for the federal government, photographing in several locations across the country. Returning to his hometown, he began a long career in public broadcasting while exhibiting his artwork in numerous shows and competitions, earning several honors and awards. Later moving to North Carolina and then to Ohio, Don advanced his professional career while continuing to create and exhibit his original mixed media art, image transfers, and pigment prints. 

In 2016, he co-founded Highline Coffee Art Space in Worthington, Ohio and served as the director and curator for nearly five years. As he further develops his personal work, Don continues to explore various mediums and alternative processes to express his artistic vision.


Artist's Statement
From one season to the next, our natural environment offers a canvas of intricate beauty, but we must seek it out in detail to fully discover and appreciate its marvelous splendor. My minimalistic disposition leads me to take a closer view of what nature freely offers and interpret it from an abstract perspective.

While I experiment with many mediums as creative tools, much of my work remains rooted in the photographic image.

Creating art, no matter the mediums or techniques used, can be a lifelong odyssey of delightful joy. After experiencing my work, I encourage viewers to explore the wonders of nature on their own: look, seek, and discover.
Curriculum Vitae
There’s no art without contemplation. ―Robert Henri

​Even in front of nature one must compose. ―Edgar Degas

It is easier to pose nature and less trouble to please. ―H.H. Bennett

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. ―Vincent van Gogh

Surround yourself with artists and see as much art as possible. ―Dale Chihuly

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. ―Frank Lloyd Wright

An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special. ―Ruth Asawa

 People should remain two things throughout their lifetimes: curious and teachable. ―Roger Ebert

I often take pictures without my camera...they are impossible to print. ―Grégoire Moulin

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film. ―Steven Wright

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ―Annie Dillard

Art is man’s distinctly human way of fighting death. ―Leonard Baskin

I am not young enough to know everything. ―Oscar Wilde

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. ―Mark Twain

It costs a lot of money to look this cheap. ―Dolly Parton

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. ―Groucho Marx