Don’s masks and sculptures are partly a reflection of the rich Spanish and Native American cultures of New Mexico in which he grew up and, influences from the strong cultural arts of Greece and Japan while living in those countries. Also, living in Taylor Ranch, New Mexico with close access to the mesas and deserts give Don a continuous source of spiritual inspiration for his work. His unusual use of gourds, natural plants, feathers and clay brings to life images of wonder and mystique in the masks and sculptures you see.

As for the apparent differences in real or imagined cultures of each mask/sculpture, Don says, “I began each piece with a finished idea in mind, and most resemble that idea upon completion, but sometimes somewhere along in the creation, a piece seems to take me in a different direction. It is as if that piece knows what it wants to be and the image it wants to portray. It is these times that I am reminded of the spiritual connection I have to each piece”

A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Don graduated from the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Business after serving five years in the US Navy. Some of Don’s earlier works include painted murals in New Mexico homes as well as in the country of Greece. He has painted works on dough bowls and painted petroglyph type work on Sandstone. Don had fifteen masks   on display at the Capitol Building during the 2003 and six during the 2004 Legislative Sessions in Santa Fe, New Mexico . His work is represented at the Dovetail Gallery in Holualoa, Hawaii., Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque, and Schelu Gallery in Old Town Albuquerque