Donald lives at the foot of Slieve Binnian in the Kingdom of Mourne, Northern Ireland. He began painting in 1982 through the encouragement of his father, who was a painter himself.

From his pencil and watercolour sketches through to completed works; ‘plein air’ painting is at the centre of Donald’s work and forms the basis of all his paintings.

Donald is solely motivated by the effects of light on a subject rather than the subject itself and is appreciative of the abundance of magnificent scenery located on his doorstep. Having been a keen rock climber, a lot of his subjects today are in the Mourne Mountains and along the scenic North Antrim Coast.

Moreover, he continues to make regular painting trips to the West coast of Ireland and the hilltop villages of the Luberon in Provence.

Donald’s aspiration is ‘to capture the essence of light in each of his subjects’