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Don McPherson

Hi! I’m Don McPherson. I sell original oil paintings at outdoor art fairs throughout Indio, California and its surrounding areas. I can also ship my creatio​ns all over the country. Rest assured that all my artworks express different emotions and feelings that will surely appeal to any viewer.

About Me

My artistic pedigree is an evolution of exploration and expression. After completing my formal education at Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and further honing my talent at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California, I began my career as a graphic designer.

In the mid-1970's, I began working independently by producing oil paintings on paper which were successfully sold throughout the East Coast.

In the late 1970's through the 1980's, my interest in doing graphite line drawings of show business personalities evolved to several celebrity associations. These include “Stardance”, a lithograph series of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers; years of personal art lessons with the comedian, Phyllis Diller, and a commission of her bust which now resides in the Smithsonian Institute; commissioned portraits of Nancy Kwan and Joseph Cotton; and art restoration of works owned by Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins.

All the while, I continued my exploration of oil painting. I have developed my personal style of photo-realistic subject matter as well as wet-in-wet impasto effects and neo-pointillism applied to a still-life format. I’m selling my artworks to collectors and fulfilling commissioned works.

Recently, even more new techniques are added to my portfolio. These include integrating gold and metal leaf into my popular pear and apple still-life works and adding large-scale desert landscapes shown at the La Quinta Arts Festival from 2011 through my invitation to participate in March 2015.

SOME PAST WORKS OF ART 

EDUCATION

Rhode Island School of Design

Art Center College of Design

​Sk​ill Sets​

Oil Painting

Acrylic Painting

Portrature

Landscapes

Still Life

Adaptations

Sculpture

Mixed Media and 2-D Techniques

Career History

  • 1968 – Graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration
  • 1969 to 1973 – Employed by O’Keefe Graphic Design, Newington, Connecticut
  • 1973 to 1977 – Attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California
  • 1975 to 1979 – Began my independent work (oil paintings on colored paper). All paintings were sold in Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina
  • 1979 – Produced graphite line drawings of show business personalities. These include “Stardance”, a portrait of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers
  • 1980 – Worked with printer Ty Wood, producing 500 lithographs of “Stardance”
  • 1982 – Introduced to Fred Astaire at Beverly Hills Hotel. Gave a print of “Stardance” to Mr. Astaire
  • 1983 – Transferred photo-realistic style from line drawings to acrylic paintings
  • 1983 to 1985 – Continued to develop a photo-realistic style to extreme high-definition through a series of “fantasy” paintings
  • 1985 – Met and discussed art with Phyllis Diller, an entertainer. Gave Ms. Diller art lessons for several years.
  • 1986 – Commissioned portraits of Nancy Kwan and Joseph Cotton for the American Cinema Foundation Awards in Century City, California
  • 1987 – Developed an interest in art restoration. Restored several European paintings for Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins
  • 1988 – Met and developed a long working relationship with Joanne Carson
  • 1989 to 1990 – Continued my work with photorealism and developed a unique concept of idealism in art
  • 1990 to 1991 – Commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of North Carolina to do a mural for a large church that was under construction. The East Group Architects firm requested a photo-realistic style.
  • 1991 – Commissioned by the National Parkinson Foundation for a portrait of Jim Backus for an Art Show and Silent Auction
  • 1993 – Commissioned to do three wall murals at the Crossroads of the World in Hollywood, California.
  • 1993 to 1994 – Restored Thailand’s temple horse statue, as well as the statue named “Matisse Horse” for collector Henry Bushkin
  • 1994 – Presented Harold and Jan Robbins a print of “Stardance” for their anniversary in Palm Springs, California; Presented Ginger Rodgers with a print of “Stardance” in Rancho Mirage, California
  • 1994 – Painted in a completely different style in a picture called “Christmas Day”, which became a precursor for the “Floradora Series”
  • 1995 – Commissioned to do a major sculpture for collector Henry Bushkin for a luxury apartment in Westwood, California
  • 1996 – Commissioned by Vanderbilt University for a portrait of Dean John Costonis for the university’s law library.
  • 1996 – Commissioned for two reproductions of Je T'aime by Robert Motherwell and “Indian Summer” by Hans Hoffmann
  • 1997 – Commissioned to do a bust of Phyllis Diller by the entertainer
  • 1998 to 2001 – Artist goes on Sabbatical
  • 2002 to 2003 – Developed numerous art forms in oils, including wet-in-wet impasto effects and a neo-pointillism style applied to a still-life format
  • 2003 to 2007 – Still-life pictures became more realistic. The outsides of forms became more defined and form separation became a priority. This new style is employed in a series of adaptations from the original works of Tamara De Lempicka. These paintings were featured at the Ross Watkins Gallery public show.
  • 2007 to 2010 – More new techniques were added to the portfolio, including a style that integrates paint and metal leaf. These artworks were featured at various art fairs such as the La Quinta Arts Festival in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
  • 2010 to 2013 – Continued to work on still-life format with apple and pear subjects. I also added desert landscapes in several styles, including very realistic concepts of an implied topology or just the suggestion of land masses.
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