ABOUT DON
I am in love with art. I can lose myself for hours in the luminous watercolors and bold oil landscapes of John Singer Sargent, soaking in the richness of his colors, the mastery of his compositions, the effortless dance of his brushwork. I don't just admire them-I dissect them, searching for the secrets hidden in each stroke, learning, stealing, absorbing everything I can to refine my own craft. 
When I stand before a Rembrandt, Velazquez, or Sargent portrait, I am captivated, overwhelmed by their command of light, color, and form. Their genius fuels my own hunger to improve, to push my work further. I pour over the drawings of Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Michelangelo, and Degas, mesmerized by their anatomical precision, the soul in their lines, the depth in their tones. I want to inhale their brilliance, to let it flow through my hands and into my own creations. 
But technique alone isn't enough. My work must speak.
George Harrison once criticized Elton John's "Crocodile Rock," calling it "a little silly" and lamenting that the Beatles always strove to say something significant with their music. That sentiment resonates with me deeply.
I want my art to mean something. I am searching for the thread of resilience that binds us all, the quiet strength of the human heart. I want to celebrate the unbreakable spirit, the determination to rise despite struggle, to push forward despite doubt. I want my work to ignite something in others - to inspire, encourage, and remind us all that we are capable of greater things.
Notable Commissions
He has been a portrait artist for over 45 years. He painted the posthumous portrait of L.L. Bean for the L.L. Bean Company in Maine. The LL Bean Company used the painting for ads in Time, Newsweek, and Southern Living magazines. Don painted Marvin Sadik's, the former director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The philanthropist Robert Monks commissioned Don to paint his mother's portrait, Mrs. A.G. Monks. And Mrs. Elizabeth Noyce, former wife of Robert Noyce, the founding member of Intel Corp. and Fairchild Semiconductor, commissioned Don to paint her portrait for the Maine Maritime Museum.
Gardner Cox guided Don throughout Don's portrait career. Gardner painted many of the Supreme Court members in the fifties and sixties. He painted Senator Robert Kennedy and Governor Michael Dukakis. 
Don and his wife, Peggy, have been married for forty-eight years. She has
been his greatest cheerleader since they were teenagers. She has been a
a stay-at-home mom for most of their married life, raising their three children , Katy, Donny, and Mike. They have provided them with
seven grandchildren.
Peggy has retired from many years in appliance sales and now serves as
administrator for their artistic endeavors. 
Don declares, "I have loved drawing ever since I was little. I copied Norman Rockwell's paintings of President Kennedy and President Nixon. I drew pictures of sports figures like the Heavyweight champion Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. I have loved art my entire life.. I was a great Beatles fan and continuously did drawings of the "fab four." When I had to decide what direction my life would take, it was simple: I would become an artist.
I completed my undergraduate studies at Boston University. I studied with the renowned Boston Expressionists David Aronson, Arthur Polonsky, and Reed Kaye. I decided to teach. That required a Master of Fine Arts. I was extremely excited to study at the American University in Washington, DC. I studied with Robert D' Arista, Ben, and Stephen Pace. Washington, DC, has some of the greatest collections of art in the world. I spent hours in the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshorn Collection. I carefully studied Rembrandt's paintings.
I was enthralled with Degas' ballerina paintings. I copied them over and over. 
Portrait and figure paintings provided a great attraction and challenge for me.
Throughout the years, I have been intrigued with courtroom sketching. In the mid-eighties, Jane Collins, an excellent courtroom artist from Boston, covered a high-profile case in Portland. Her work inspired me to attempt to do courtroom work. One of the local Portland television stations hired me. I worked for the Portland and Boston television stations during the eighties and nineties. 
Courtroom artwork is intense. The personalities are constantly on the move, and there is a deadline looming. We artists must get a convincing likeness of those involved. I love the challenge. A judge was very concerned we were getting too accurate a likeness. He called us into his chambers and said, "I know I must be careful about the Constitution. However, this is a murder trial, and I am concerned the jury is fearful of being recognized. I am asking you to be considerate of them." We got the Judge's message!
I was fortunate to do a trial for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. Currently, I am working for CBS Evening News and several Boston television stations.
Throughout the years, I have asked myself why I return to many of the same motifs. I am attracted to old houses, bridges, rugged shorelines, the homeless, sports-competion, to name a few. I realize I desire exploring resilience. I am inspired by people and things that persevere. Life presents challenges and hurdles that we must overcome. Life's storms will sink and discourage us, or they inspire us to greater works. The Book of James in the Bible encourages us in chapter one: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sister, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
I want my paintings to be timeless and reveal what connects us all. 
I draw inspiration from my Dad. His mom publicly disowned him in a newspaper ad when he was sixteen years old. He joined the army later that year and eventually became a fighter pilot with General Chenault's Flying Tigers. He was shot down on his first mission and given up for dead by the war department. The Chinese Resistance rescued him and delivered him back to his base. Later, he had a career as a fighter pilot after World War Two and an insurance career that followed.
He taught my brothers and me to "never give up." We were taught to persevere and be resilient. 
Notable Awards:
He was the Merit Award Recipient at the 1981 Portrait Painter's Seminar in New York City. His award-winning painting, selected from among those of artists representing all 50 states and five different countries, appeared in the March 1982 issue of American Artist Magazine.
Don's painting "The Least of These" (please click here to see the painting) has recently won an Honorable mention at the Northeast Fine Art Exhibition in Ware, Massachusetts.
He was selected to exhibit in the prestigious Art Salon Juried Show 2006' Winter Exhibition. He is a member of the Pastel Society of Maine. He was selected for their Annual International Exhibition in 2006 and received the Honorable Award at their Bowdoin exhibition at Bowdoin College.
Institutions and private collections that own Don's work include T.D. Bank North, St. Joseph's College in Windham, Maine, Andover College in Portland, and the Elizabeth Noyce Collection and Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine.
Don had a late call in life to ministry. He recently retired from being the Pastor of Deering Center Community Church in Portland, Maine. He currently paints full-time.
You can email Don at: [email protected]