Don Trout The Artist's History
Don Trout was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and grew up in the Midwest. His father Perry,
worked for the Great Lakes Pipeline Company and the family followed him as he
advanced in the company from Lee, Illinois, to Des Moine, Iowa and finally to Kansas City,
Missouri.
Showing an early aptitude for drawing, Don's first art success was winning a Saturday
scholarship to the Art Institute in Kansas City for a grade school watercolor painting.
Drawing and painting throughout his school years led to enrollment as an art major at the
University of Kansas City (now University of Missouri in Kansas City) where he studied
with Henry Scott. The rich legacy of paintings and lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton,
who was Artist in Residence just prior to his enrollment, was very much an influence on
the young artist and Don's early paintings reflect a Benton influence. Further study years
later would include school courses in watercolor and head and figure painting with Paul
Souza and Mary Sheridan at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California.
Immediately on graduating from college, Don was drafted into the army and classified as a
camouflage expert. After basic training he was ordered to Granite City Engineer Depot
and oddly, since he had no experience in it at all, classified as a heavy equipment
repairman. After a few days at the depot, a call was made for a volunteer to work in Troop
Information and Education and Don quickly stepped up for the job. This was a lucky move
which turned into an opportunity to work on the post newspaper. Thanks to his college
experience, where he edited the yearbook, he was soon appointed editor of "The
Graniteer" another move which led to his technical publishing career after his army
discharge.
A high school trip to Colorado had created a desire to see the west, so after his discharge
he and his wife Barbara moved to Los Angeles, California. Following a brief course in
technical illustration at Glendale City College, Don was hired by Lockheed Aircraft
Company as a technical illustrator. This was the beginning of a career in aerospace art,
as technical illustrator, freelance artist, and finally supervisor/art director for Lockheed's
Special Arts Group in Burbank, California.
Following an early retirement, Don was soon involved in a new career, teaching drawing
and painting in Glendale and Santa Clarita, California, to classes as well as private
students. Don maintains a studio at his home where he continues to explore the
possibilities of oils, acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media paintings in particular, utilizing
rice paper collage to enhance the textural surface imagery.
Don now lives in Cathedral City, California
worked for the Great Lakes Pipeline Company and the family followed him as he
advanced in the company from Lee, Illinois, to Des Moine, Iowa and finally to Kansas City,
Missouri.
Showing an early aptitude for drawing, Don's first art success was winning a Saturday
scholarship to the Art Institute in Kansas City for a grade school watercolor painting.
Drawing and painting throughout his school years led to enrollment as an art major at the
University of Kansas City (now University of Missouri in Kansas City) where he studied
with Henry Scott. The rich legacy of paintings and lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton,
who was Artist in Residence just prior to his enrollment, was very much an influence on
the young artist and Don's early paintings reflect a Benton influence. Further study years
later would include school courses in watercolor and head and figure painting with Paul
Souza and Mary Sheridan at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California.
Immediately on graduating from college, Don was drafted into the army and classified as a
camouflage expert. After basic training he was ordered to Granite City Engineer Depot
and oddly, since he had no experience in it at all, classified as a heavy equipment
repairman. After a few days at the depot, a call was made for a volunteer to work in Troop
Information and Education and Don quickly stepped up for the job. This was a lucky move
which turned into an opportunity to work on the post newspaper. Thanks to his college
experience, where he edited the yearbook, he was soon appointed editor of "The
Graniteer" another move which led to his technical publishing career after his army
discharge.
A high school trip to Colorado had created a desire to see the west, so after his discharge
he and his wife Barbara moved to Los Angeles, California. Following a brief course in
technical illustration at Glendale City College, Don was hired by Lockheed Aircraft
Company as a technical illustrator. This was the beginning of a career in aerospace art,
as technical illustrator, freelance artist, and finally supervisor/art director for Lockheed's
Special Arts Group in Burbank, California.
Following an early retirement, Don was soon involved in a new career, teaching drawing
and painting in Glendale and Santa Clarita, California, to classes as well as private
students. Don maintains a studio at his home where he continues to explore the
possibilities of oils, acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media paintings in particular, utilizing
rice paper collage to enhance the textural surface imagery.
Don now lives in Cathedral City, California
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| Don was one of two artists honored at the 39th Annual Sierra Madre Art Fair. |
| Don with collage and watercolor paintings at a Senior Center show in Canyon Country |
| The guitarist is Darryl Denning playing: Choros #1 by Heitor Villa Lobos, a selection from Darryl's CD: Classical Guitar Artistry. |
| My Latest Project began by Accident with the Discovery of the Hubble Telescope Photos |
These are but a sample
of the paintings in this
ongoing project. I will
in the future open a
space for them in my
website paintings
galleries.
of the paintings in this
ongoing project. I will
in the future open a
space for them in my
website paintings
galleries.
I use the ethereal look, some colors and shapes
from the Hubble Telescope photographs but let the
natural tendency of wet watercolor do the rest.
from the Hubble Telescope photographs but let the
natural tendency of wet watercolor do the rest.
| Corey Trout July 1st 1011 - Sept 6, 2019 |