1930-1956 | Early Life

Don was born in 1930 in Eureka, California. He was one of the middle two of four children of homesteading parents, Melba and Charles. They lived among the redwoods and Don learned early that nothing is to be taken for granted — time, resources — life — should be spent with intention. By eight years old he was carving bear figurines along with his parents to sell to the tourists who passed through.

Don used the pay from every odd job he could find to buy art supplies. Paintbrushes, pencils, and paper were his chosen tools to develop his eye and discover the shape of his expression. He also added more carved animals to his scrap redwood sculptures — buffalo, rabbits, and deer. By the age of fifteen, he carved a bear that stood nearly as tall as him.

Within three years he would have four local solo exhibitions of his watercolor paintings. He also found local supporters and buyers of his work. Encouraged by this early success, in 1948, he won a statewide competition for a year-long scholarship at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Don was intent on continuing his arts education on the East Coast. He just needed to figure out how to finance it. At the same time, the Korean War had begun and he was a target of the draft. He decided to enlist instead and served from 1950 to 1952 — discharged after two and a half years to finally begin art school.

Don left California in 1953 to study at Catan-Rose Institute of Arts on Long Island in New York and completed a four year advanced study program under Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas (1907-1997), a famous Lithuanian artist and designer, earning a certificate in commercial and graphic arts. Jonynas became a mentor to him and they began a creative partnership together that would last for decades.