DON RAY MCKINNEY

Don Ray McKinney is an American artist who has been active in the visual arts for over 50 years. He is primarily a painter but has also created works in several diverse medias including drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. Don was born on the South Side of Chicago in 1950, and has resided on the West Coast of the United States for most of his adult life.

He received his Bachelors of Arts degree in painting from Humboldt State University where he was awarded an Art Scholarship. While there, under the guidance of William T. Anderson and Michael Bravo, he began his study of stone lithography and block printmaking. During this period, Don was a studio artist apprentice and studied under renowned Pacific Northwest painter, Glenn Berry.

From 1978 to 1980, Don McKinney attended Ohio University where he was awarded a full scholarship, tuition waver, and teaching assistantship. He earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree in drawing and painting and then began his long career as an arts educator. It was during this period, he was introduced to author and curator the late Sam Hunter. Mr Hunter included Don in an artist group and movement known as “New Directions in Contemporary American Art.” This group had their opening exhibition with catalog in 1981 at the famed Sidney Janis Gallery in New York. Later, work from the group, including Mr. McKinney’s, went on to exhibit in a six Museum National Tour and was critically received.

Over his long career in the arts, Mr. McKinney’s creative work has resulted in dozens of solo exhibitions and hundreds of group and invitational exhibitions. He has had the honor of showing work in thirty five International and American museums. The San Diego Museum of Art has twice awarded Mr. McKinney “Best of Exhibition”. He has also been honored with the Best of Show at The 42^nd Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting. He has been honored by the Butler Institute of American Art, who acquired a painting for their permanent collection.

Don McKinney has served on Arts Commissions and the Boards of Directors for non profit organizations and municipalities. He has exhibited mainly in NPOs and he continues to participated annually in numerous international invitational exhibitions. In 2012, the California Contemporary Art Journal named Don Ray McKinney one of “50 California artists you should know”. Don has taught and lectured at numerous universities and colleges throughout the U.S. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Art in Southern California.

Mr. McKinney is known for his large-scale, abstract acrylic paintings with intense exploration of color, light, movement, and iconographic mythology. His work has been sought after by both private and institutional collectors.