Don Wilkie - Nature- Portraits - Aviation - Artist Profile

Born in the early 1950’s my interest in art started at a very young age where I would do drawing and painting of aircraft to put up on my bedroom wall in Wellington New Zealand.

My career took me to Auckland where I was a laboratory technician processing colour film and prints for advertising agencies. From there I went into the printing industry having my own Graphic Design company. I shifted to Napier in 1995 in the industry and also took up positions on the board of trustees with the local museum and the Art Deco Trust.

I took up painting full time in January 2012. After I put my first painting up on my Painting Facebook site I was asked to do my first commission. This was for the local Air Training Corp to raise money, it was of the 485 (NZ) squadron and it raised over $3000 for them. Since then I have had numerous exhibitions and commissions which I have done while still holding down a full time job. I have a love of history which has helped me research my paintings, which lends me towards realism in my painting and an eye for detail.

I am self-taught and pick subjects that will stretch me to achieve new goals which I find very satisfying and challenging. My work is sold locally in New Zealand and overseas in America and England and Norway.