It makes perfect sense that Donald Craghead’s canvases should be filled with the dramatic landscapes that surround his Carmel home.  He was wooed to the Monterey Peninsula from Illinois nearly three decades ago when he fell in love with landscapes filled with golden hills and old oak trees.

Donald began his career in art as a salesperson in two renowned galleries in Carmel, Gallery Americana and Trailside Galleries.  He eventually worked his way up to Assistant Director of Trailside, a national level gallery with locations in Scottsdale, AZ and Jackson, WY.  Due to the daily diet of the beautiful works surrounding him, he eventually felt the need to attempt to create these works himself.

Although he was capable of “wielding a mean pencil” since an early age, he admits his first attempts weren’t very good.  But as he continued to paint and compare his work to the national caliber artist’s work that surrounded him, the improvements began.  As he improved he began painting with some of the countries premier plein air landscape painters.  Painting with and receiving guidance from such artists as Scott Christensen, Michael Albrechtsen, Ovanes Berberian, Robert Moore and others proved to be better than a college education in fine art.  As he says, “These were the people out there doing it and creating a successful career on a daily basis”.