Don Meyer | Boogie at The Grange

Surrealist Don Meyer fuses drawing and painting in a wide range of expressive mark-making inspired by the late Philip Guston.  In the work featured in Boogie at The Grange, Don creates abstract works that combine direct references to specific forms and spaces with ambiguities and subtle suggestions. Don’s work is deeply inspired by the natural beauty and serenity of the landscape, which has shaped his artistic vision and continues to inform his expressive style.  

Opening Reception: January 15, 5-7 pm

Final Friday: January 29 and February 26, 6-9 pm

Artist Biography

Don Meyer was brought up in Camillus, New York. His father was a Sunday painter and a swing musician in his pre-World War 2 youth. His father quietly influenced his aesthetic interests through Jimi Hendrix records and a fine Toulouse Lautrec picture book.

Don arrived in Emporia in January 1973 in a rusted-out pink Karman Gia. Clay was his thing, and he made drawings. He quickly switched to a painting major under the influence of Rex Hall. Rex had taught primary school art and deeply believed in the individual creativity of his students. Don’s work through his undergraduate years was a kind of pop surrealism based on decisive moment photographs he took.

In 1980, he purchased the Boston Grange Hall. At that time, his work was an attempt to create oil portraits based on what he heard in John Prine’s music. In 1985, he returned to Emporia State for the M. A. Painting Program with Richard Slimon as his main professor. Living in the Flint Hills and Richard’s influence brought forth new subject matter, as well as a more complex approach to color. The Kansas Arts Commission’s Artist in Residence Program was a great opportunity for Don. He taught kindergarten through higher education and loved it all. He was especially fond of working with students in K-12 because you could solely focus on teaching and try ambitious ideas.

For the last 25 years, Don has painted, gardened, and worked on The Grange. Turning the yard into a half-kept small farm, he is slowly painting and doesn’t mind revisiting themes. Rethinking past work and ideas has been some of the most productive work he has done. Don’s large paintings are heavily reliant on oil sticks. He is in the process of returning to using the power of a black line through the wide and interesting variety possible with an oil stick.

Don was a serious little kid, so he’s thrilled to be making works like these at 72 years old.