He began painting in oil and had some early coaching by Durango artist Mike Desatnick. In 1999, he took a workshop with Albert Handell in Taos, and became interested in pastel as a medium. He works primarily outside, en plein air, but also continues studio work, particularly in figure painting and portraiture. Most of his landscape paintings are completed in pastel or oil on site and often the field studies are used for larger studio paintings. Don has studied at the Scottsdale Artists School with Leslie B DeMille and Matt Smith. He has also attended workshops in portraiture and landscape painting from New York City to California. He has spent many hours painting outdoors with former Durangoans, Connie Morse and Dave Sime.