About

Short Bio

Don Reed was born in Bangor, Maine in 1950. He has been painting since the age of 12 and over the last 50 years has worked in most mediums. 10 years ago he began to develop the contemporary impressionistic approach to painting that you see today.

Statement

After working in many mediums and techniques over the past thirty odd years, I have finally arrived at a place where I can truly express, through my art, my love of landscape, my wonder of form and my fascination with creating the illusion of light. I am constantly amazed with each completed piece and gratified by its effect on the viewer. My work has become a journey that I take with each painting, a journey that does not end when the work is displayed for the first time but continues with each new viewer.

Biography

While living in South Berwick, Maine, at the age of 12, I attended my first oil painting classes in a little fishing shack in picturesque York Harbor, Maine with a crusty old painter by the name of Edwin Booth who taught painting to kids on Saturday mornings during the summer months.  The laughter of children happily painting and the distinctive smell of linseed oil remains one of my favorite childhood memories. The lessons were arranged by my stepfather, well-known cartoonist and advertising artist Wilbur Bullock, who was a strong influence on my desire to become an artist.  I owe so much of my success to him. Later in high school, I developed an interest in dry brush watercolors and was especially influenced by Andrew Wyeth and Winslow Homer but as a teenager in the late 60’s, art was not always my focus.

  After high school, I briefly attended the Art Institute of Boston and took courses from The Famous Artist School with a goal of becoming a commercial artist like my stepfather.  However, I left school to raise a family and after many attempts to find work in the advertising field, went to work in the sign industry in 1971.  In 1976, in an effort to reconnect with my fine art side, I enrolled in portrait classes at the Manchester Art Institute (now the New Hampshire Art Institute). The classes were instructed by well known New England realist, James Aponovich.

  In the early 1980’s, I began to experiment with acrylics and developed an interest in science fiction painting which evolved into aviation art by the late eighties. I began exhibiting my work at air shows and art shows throughout New England and in 1990, won purchase prize awards at both the Rochester Art in the Park Show and the Portland, Maine Sidewalk Art Festival.  Many of these aviation paintings are included in private collections all over the country.

  With the support of my wife Susan, 2001 marked the first year of exhibiting my work since 1990.  Susan and I began taking my watercolors to art shows throughout New England. The shows were successful and many of my paintings received awards but I felt limited by the watercolor medium and began to think of a new direction.

  In 2004 I took a giant step back to my first art instruction in 1962 by squeezing out some oil paints and reconnecting with the landscapes and seascapes of New England.  In 2005 and 2006 I traveled to Monhegan Island in Maine to study with nationally recognized artist, Stan Moeller, painting en plein air at locations around the island.

  In 2007 I made a dramatic change in my approach to painting which took many in the art community by surprise. Some thought my new direction was too radical and sooner or later I would find my way back to traditional painting. But slowly my work began turning heads and gradually I found that what I had discovered was my own distinctive painting technique which set my work apart from the mainstream. From 2007 to 2013 the technique evolved until in 2014 I put down the brushes and picked up a palette knife taking a major step toward perfecting the painting style you see today. My hope is that my approach to painting will continue to grow, evolve, and bring joy to those who view it today and for years to come.

Resume / CV

2009 Newburyport Artists Association Member Winter Juried Show II - First Place Oils
2009 Andover Art in the Park - First Place Oils
2010 Paintings featured in Best Oil Artists in America Volume II
2010 Manchester Artist Association Home Show - Second Place in Show
2010 “Sunrise Over the Pines” accepted into Newburyport Art Association national juried show.
2010 2 VIEWS-New Hampshire Art Association Levy Gallery 2 man show. Don Reed & Richard Morin
2011 Featured artist at Jewett Farms showroom & gallery. Newburyport, MA
2011 “Shoreline” selected to be included in the New Hampshire Art Association 62nd Currier Museum of Art Exhibition, The painting is included in an exhibition of 48 works selected from 239 submissions.
2011 One man show at the Hills Gallery in Newburyport, MA
2011 “Hanover Street“ receives first place at Manchester, NH Artist Association Gallery “American Roads” exhibit.
2011 “Bello Sorriso“ receives Third Place in Acrylics at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival
2011 “Bello Sorriso“ receives Second Place in Acrylics at the Londonderry Art in the Park show
2013 First place in the Fine Arts Category at the Art in the Village, New London, NH.
2013 Marie Hickey Award for best color at Art in the Park Keene, NH.
2013 “Vermont Winter“ Best in Show at Andover Art in the Park Andover, MA.
2014 “October Corn“ Best in Oils” Newburyport Art Association Winter Members Juried Show II
2014 Solo show at the Hills Gallery, Newburyport, MA.
2014 First place in oils at the Keene, NH Art in the Park show.
2015 Best new artist at the Glenview, IL Art at the Glen Amdur Production art show
2017 Featured in February issue of American Art Collector
2017 Representation by Reinert Fine Art Gallery
2018 “Autumn Inlet” accepted into American Impressionists Society’s “AIS Impressions Small Works Showcase” national juried exhibition.
"Morning Along the River" awarded "Best Impressionism" painting in the The National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society's 2018 Small Painting National Juried Exhibit.
2019 "Marsh Lily Pads" included in annunal Butler Museum National Juried Show.
2019 " Medina Morning" Second Place Non-Traditional Fine Art Medina Art in the Park