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
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.
Corey Trout July 1st 1011 -
Sept 6, 2019
My Latest Work
The unfortunate event of the coronavirus occurring in almost every country in the world and a virtual
lock down in this country meant that as a vulnerable senior citizen I would be staying mainly at home
or in the proximity of the country club where I live. An unexpected benefit has been more painting
time.  The thought occurred to me that a lot of artifacts and history are virtually under our feet. Why
not a series of paintings titled: "Beneath the Layers of Time."
"Beneath the Layers of Time"
#1 in the series emphasizes a flowing
design and marbled rice papers
20" x 24" acrylic and rice papers
on canvas.
#2 in the series still uses some of the design elements but more
attention to textures and ancient ruins, perhaps a city.
 A diptych 32" x 20" acrylic and marbled rice papers on canvas.
#4 in the series suggests  a jungle above, a day
and night below and Indian ruins. 24" x 30" acrylic
and collaged papers on canvas.
#5 in the series explores the ancient ruins of
the southwest United States. 30" x 40" acrylic
and collaged papers on canvas.
#3 in the series
suggests timeless
deposits under the
sea. 12" x 24" acrylic
and collaged papers
on canvas.
#6 in the series depicts  ancient
deposits of shells and inhabitants.
24" x 30" acrylic on canvas
#7 in the series pictures key elements of a
real place, the California ghost town of
Bodie. 30" x 40" Acrylic and rice papers on
canvas.
#8 in the series imagines the
debri deposited on a beach with
some current day items as well.
24" x 30" acrylic and found papers
on canvas.
#9 departs from the series to show
the "good, the bad, and
the ugly" events of our time.
24" x 30" acrylic and found papers
on canvas.
#11 in the series is a history lesson. The
Spaniards came to the peaceful pueblo
villages, converted many to Christianity,
enslaved others, leaving their mark on
our Southwest Native Americans to this
day. 30" x 40" acrylic and collaged rice
papers on canvas.
#10 - This collage attempted to
suggest the futility of man's efforts
to stand the test of time, only the
fragments remain. Painting is 22" x
30" acrylic and rice papers on
Arches #300 paper.
#12 - suggests the crowded air space
above and a remembrance of  the last
world war in air space. A subtle
suggestion of where we are headed
to the destruction of our world by a
future nuclear war