Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Gillespie.
Hi Don, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Florida in 1975 from Central New York and graduated from Gibbs High School here in St. Pete. That was before it was a magnet school for the arts. I won several Scholastic Art Awards my senior year and won the Hallmark Honor Prize in the national show in New York City. I was offered a partial scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology but because of finances, I ended up attended a local art school that was in St. Pete at the time. It was an excellent school and a great environment for a young artist. Through that school I landed a job as an illustrator at Honeywell Space Systems. I had grown up around aviation so it was a natural fit. I worked there as an aerospace artist for 15 years, illustrating many NASA projects including Space Shuttle and Space Station. That was during the cold war and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, also know as StarWars) was in full swing. There were all sorts of crazy concepts to illustrate on the defense side of the business. I went from Sr. Designer to Marketing and eventually managed the Art Department. It was clear at that time I was heading for less hands on design work and more management. In 1993 I took a voluntary layoff package and excepted an ownership position in a new media company, Image Technologies. This was 1993 and the internet was just being opened to the general public. That company grew within 3 years from 4 people to 70+ and I found myself back in an even larger management position. We sold that business to World Color which became Quebecor World.
In 1998 I started another Interactive Agency and by this time, having a growing family, I finally accepted that I would be in a management situation for awhile. I didn’t paint for 10 years.
By 2009 my family had grown and my wife and I divorced. I sold the house and moved to the beach and took time to paint. I began showing my art again. I did several artist in residency projects in New York and The Kennedy Space Center. I enjoyed painting live in museums and teaching children using a STEAM curriculum I developed called Artists4Space. During that time I met Nicole Stott, an Astronaut and Artist. Since then, we have done several shows together at Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) and currently at Miami during Art Basel. For the past 8 years, I’ve been working for a local mobile app design agency and painting on the weekends. I’m planning on retiring next year and and focusing full time on my painting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It always seems that I get dragged into management and technology. All in all, I’ve been very fortunate. The expansion of digital media during my career has been amazing. The introduction of computer design and digital publishing has evolved at an exponential rate. Now with Ai, virtual reality, augmented reality etc. it’s going to explode even more. I’ve learned over the years to embrace new technologies as each one has is introduced. They have had their challenges but ultimately they are all creative tools we can explore.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think my aerospace and digital media experience is unique but I also love traditional oil painting and transparent watercolors. I guess it’s that blend of old and new that sets me apart. The basics still matter.
At this stage in my life I think I’m most proud of the teaching I’ve done. It’s important to teach and inspire the next generation. I enjoy teaching art classes. I’m looking forward to focusing on my art, encouraging and inspiring others. As my Astronaut friend says about being on this spaceship we call earth, “We are crew not passengers”.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I was a charter member in an art organization called The American Society of Aviation Artists. We communicated with each other all year and we would get together and have a major show once a year spending a week together in classes. Through that organization I have and continue to have amazing friends and mentors. Walt Jeffries (He designed the starship enterprise and many sets for Star Trek . Robert McCall (Smithsonian Air and Space murals) as well as Keith Ferris and Wilson Hurley. We had joint shows in London and Colorado Springs, San Diego, Langley to name a few.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.mybrushstrokes.com/
- Instagram: CloningNeptune
- Facebook: Paintings by Don Gillespie
