About the artist:

Don Wright was a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. After graduating from Franklin High School in 1957, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served until 1961. Immediately following his military days, Don joined an exploratory seismographic company that allowed him to experience the glaciers of Alaska and Canada, the beaches of the Bahamas, and most of the terrain between them. During his time with the seismographic company, Don’s interest in art began to grow. So, at the age of 24, Don began attending classes at Southeastern Louisiana University. The next four years were spent mostly on conservative studies of art that provided Don with a firm foundation in drawing and composition. After he completed his BA, he was accepted to an MFA program at the Pratt Institute of New York. Don finished at the Pratt Institute in 1970 with an emphasis in painting, drawing, and, what he would later call his favorite medium, sculpture. While most established Louisiana artists are known for their interpretations of backwater bayous or the Vieux Carre, Don seems never to have settled on a particular theme. His style of painting is always unmistakable, but it can be found in subjects ranging from swamps to nudes and from courtyards to cabins. In his own words, Don said of his art, "My intent is to fuse internal reality within the artist with outside stimuli, the product being the finished art object. I deliberately subordinate all questions of style, technique, subject, and medium to this simple credo." In addition to being a featured artist at Gilley’s Galley, Don's work is also in the collections of LSU, the Ziegler Museum, Louisiana's permanent state collection, and many private collectors throughout the South. Don Wright quietly passed away in January of 2007. He will be truly missed.