Chapter II
The Artist
A collection of things I have made.
I make things because some ideas are too large for sentences.
The writing and the visual work come from the same place. Memory. Place. The feeling of a thing before you have the words for it. When language runs out, I pick up a brush or a camera or a lump of clay and keep going.
I work across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. I do not choose between them. Each one teaches the others something.
The Practices
Four disciplines, one conversation
Painting
Mostly acrylic, sometimes oil. Large canvases when I have the space. Small studies when I do not. Color is the first language.
Sculpture
Ceramic work, hand-thrown and hand-built. Objects that want to be held. Vessels that hold something invisible.
Photography
Documentary and portrait work. I photograph the places and people that shaped me. Mississippi. West Adams. The in-between.
Mixed Media
Collage, assemblage, work that resists easy categories. This is where the other practices talk to each other.
Selected Works
Available and recent pieces
Works will appear here
Press Command + Shift + D or Control + Shift + D, then enter your passcode to access the hidden Selected Works manager.
The process is the point.
I do not start with a finished image in mind. I start with a feeling, a color, a question I cannot answer in words. The work figures itself out in the making.
Some pieces take an afternoon. Some take years. I have learned not to rush either kind.
Commissions
I take a small number of commissions each year. Paintings, ceramics, and photography projects. If you have something in mind, I would like to hear about it.
Commission inquiries are handled through the contact page. Please include the type of work, approximate size, and any reference images or ideas you have.
Start a Conversation"I make things because some ideas are too large for sentences. The rest is just showing up to the studio and finding out what wants to be made."Sincerely, Donny
Next
The Designer
One-of-one clothing and objects. Things made to be worn, used, and kept.