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Artist Statement - Biography
- Gallery Representation - History
- Affiliations
Artist Statement
Lumen
* Aqua *
Terra
"I paint the places I love to be. I paint the freshness of eternal
nature, icy lucid streams, thunderous waterfalls, and soaring granite
crests over silent lakes. I paint the descriptions of John Muir, the echoes
of Ansel Adams, the American West of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran.
I paint luminosity filtering through the landscape, reaching to the foundation
of a stream, bouncing off rocks, and illuminating the shadows.
Using oil and acrylic, painting realistically is merely my means to an
end. I want the viewer to connect with the places I love to be. I hope
the observer will want to walk right into my painting and maybe even drop
a line in the water to catch a trout.
My published works include both “plein air” and studio paintings,
which helps me translate the dynamic experience of the moment and communicate
in a more personal way of what I am trying to say.."
Light
* Water *
Earth
Biography
Donald Neff’s art is a product of his love for nature and the outdoors.
Working in both Oils and Acrylic Polymer, Neff’s work reflects a
colorful realism of the land he travels. His paintings are typically centered
around a water theme, whether High Sierra scenes, seascapes, or the graceful
countryside. Donald is completely self-instructed and his paintings convey
a realistic perception of nature.
Although drawing and art have been steady interests since he was a child,
Donald's concentration in painting surfaced after college graduation and
his establishment in a successful computer science career. What began
as a pastime pleasure quickly became a compulsion.
Donald is an Oregon native and spent childhood years in Pasadena, California
and Eastern Texas. After moving to the San Francisco area in the late
70’s, Donald founded and eventually sold a successful computer software
company. Donald retired from his computer science career to devote full
time to his art. He still lives and paints in the San Francisco Bay area.
Donald's work is shown in galleries, institutional, and private collections
throughout the United States. He has had one man shows at such institutions
as the Carnegie Museum in Oxnard, California, and Ambassador Gallery in
Pasadena California. He has shown at the Salmungundi Club in New York,
Yosemite Valley Visitors Center, and won first place in statewide exhibitions
in California. His work has been a finalist in the prestigious Arts for
the Parks “Mini-Fifty” and the Top 200 competition in Jackson,
Wyoming.
In September 1998, Donald was featured on the television broadcast,
Silicon Valley Business Report in which his art was the focal
point. He is also featured in the book, "How did you paint That?
100 ways to paint Seascapes, Rivers, & Lakes.". Donald has
also been listed in Who’s Who in America, Who's Who
Worldwide, and'Who's Who in the West.
Current Gallery Representation
James Harold Galleries,
at the Boatworks, Lake Tahoe, CA 530.581.5111
Village Art Gallery at
the Marriott
Grand Residence Village South Lake Tahoe, CA, 530.542.4433
Sandy-by-the-Sea,
Dolores and 6th, Carmel, CA 831.624.0260
Ninth Life Gallery, St. Thomas,
USVI 340.777.8190
Selected History
Solo Shows:
2006 James Harold Galleries, Tahoe City, CA
2006 Toll House, Los Gatos, CA
2003 Mountain View City Hall, Mountain View, CA
2003 Ago Gallery, Ouray, CO
1982 Carnegie Museum, Oxnard, CA
1979 Ambassador Gallery, Pasadena, CA
Selected Group Shows:
2007, 2006 Carmel Art Festival
2007 Seasons of Martis Plein Air
2005 Oil Painters of America Western Regional, Santa Barbara, CA
2005 Sonoma Plein Air
2004 Los Gatos Art Fest, an inaugural juried plein air event.
2004 Yosemite Renaissance, Yosemite Museum, CA
2003 Best in America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, MO
2003 Yosemite Renaissance, Yosemite Museum, CA
2002 Arts for the Parks Mini-50 Finalist, Jackson, WY
2002 La Petite X, a national small format show, Coburg, OR
1991 Arts for the Parks 200, Jackson, WY
1987 Yosemite Valley Visitors Center, Yosemite, CA
1983 American Artists Professional League, Salmungundi Club, NY, NY
1981 35th Annual San Francisco Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA
Selected Awards:
2007 Peoples Choice Award, Seasons of Martis Plein Air
2006 Best of Oil or Acrylic, Carmel Art Festival
2006 Third Place, Oils, Los Gatos Annual Members Show
2004 First Place and Honorable Mention, Los Gatos Art Fest, a plein air
event.
2002 First Place, Society of Western Artists Kaiser Show
1987 Honorable Mention, Yosemite Renaissance II, Yosemite Park, CA
1981 First Place, Society of Western Artists Statewide Show, Sacramento,
CA
1979 2nd Place, San Gabriel Fine Arts Annual Show, San Gabriel, CA
Publications:
"How
did you paint That? 100 ways to paint Seascapes, Rivers, & Lakes."
2004
December Plein Air Magazine (click for info)
2004 Evergreen Times (click for article)
2003 Guidebook of Western Artists
2002 Guidebook of Western Artists
Click here for misc publications and articles.
Television:
1998 Featured on "Silicon Valley Business Report" Click
here to see the feature.
Past Gallery Representation and shows:
1978-1981 Kelley's Gallery of Fine Art, Solvang, CA
1979-1981 Thomas Gallery, Lake Tahoe, CA
1981-1984 Conquistador Gallery, Taos, NM
1981-1981 Bent Tree Gallery, Dallas, TX
1981-1983 Roughton Galleries, Dallas, TX
1981-1983 Sanders Gallery, Tucson, AZ
1981-1983 Southwest Galleries, Houston, TX
Miscellanous
US State Department, US Embassies in Mauritania, Nigeria, and Barbados
Who's Who in America (2003 Edition)
Who's Who Worldwide
Who's Who in the West
Affiliations
Oil Painters
of America
Los Gatos Art Association
Society of Western Artists
National Oil and Acrylic
Painters Society
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