Donald R. Purdy

Donald Purdy (1924-2016) was a self-taught American painter whose intimately composed pictures carried a distinct sense of peace, characterized by moods of solitude and reflection. His work reflected a lifelong desire to portray life as he wished it might be. When asked about his thought processes and his method, Purdy explained:

"I just paint from the inside. I paint what I think not what I see, and I have to do what I want to do. It would be almost impossible for me to paint under the instruction of another."

His surroundings served as inspiration only; the results were pure invention. Purdy's design and composition were fundamentally instinctive rather than calculated. When asked for the source of his inspiration, Purdy noted:

"Ideas just come naturally when I have time for reflection. One thought will usually trigger a host of others enough for a whole series of pictures."

Although self-taught, Purdy was influenced by many artists, including the Barbizon School, the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and the American nineteenth-century landscape painters. No particular artistic influence was evident during his childhood. After graduating from high school he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served in Germany as a foot soldier with the Ninth Army during the Second World War. After the war Purdy pursued a degree in psychology, graduating in 1949 from the University of Connecticut and completing his master's degree in psychology from Boston University in 1950. While living in Boston he worked in an art gallery, performing tasks such as framing pictures. It was here that he first became art-conscious and was surprised to learn that individuals actually chose art as a profession.

Purdy lived and painted for most of his life in New England. He exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including at the Britain Museum in Connecticut, the Butler Institute in Columbus, Ohio, Colby College in Maine, the University of Kansas, the Chrysler Collection, and the Bernheim-Jeune Galleries in Paris. He was honored with numerous awards, including a Gold Medal from the Allied Artists. He taught painting at the Silvermine Academy of Art in Connecticut and is listed in Who's Who in American Art.