Don Estes

b. 1959, St. Louis, MO
Just as stratified segments of earth reveal events in time, I think of my work as constructed of layers of information, some opaque and literal, others translucent and obscure.
Discovery
Discovery

Don Estes is known for harmonious, dimensional abstractions of the landscape of the American South. He focuses on geological formations, river bluffs, coastlines, and horizons- places where water, land, and light interact and change through the passage of time. In a range of intensities and textures, he layers dry pigment, pastel, and gesso in horizontal and vertical bands, narrow stripes, wide blocks, and translucent washes onto raw canvas or panel. His works share the same dualities and subtle complexities of the environments he interprets: solid yet temporal, monumental yet vulnerable, present and grounded yet untethered. Like fossils, they reveal hidden dimensions and histories through their shape, form, and texture.

Don Estes received his BFA and MFA from the University of Memphis. Estes has participated in exhibitions in Boston, New York, Nashville, Austin, and Amsterdam. His work is in the collections of Duncan Williams, Inc., Memphis; Harvest Group, LLC, Memphis; Iberia Bank Memphis Headquarters; NSA Corporate Headquarters, Collierville, TN; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Mercury Investment Management, Memphis; NexAir, Memphis; Regions Insurance, Memphis; and Wunderlich Securities, Memphis, among others. He was an original founder of Number: A Quarterly of the Visual Arts, as well as a pioneer of the South Main Arts District. His Second Floor Contemporary Gallery (1999-2005) was an important non-commercial art space for new work by regional and national artists.

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Discovery
Discovery
Tall Tales
Tall Tales
Tall Tales #2
Tall Tales #2
History
History
Top Story
Top Story
Fairy Tales
Fairy Tales
Buried Story
Buried Story
True Story
True Story
Tales of Happenstance
Tales of Happenstance
The Three Pillars
The Three Pillars
The Search
The Search
Her Story
Her Story
Artifact
Artifact
Short Story
Short Story
Story of a Good Life
Story of a Good Life
Discovery
Discovery
mixed media on panel, 48x60
2023
Tall Tales
Tall Tales
mixed media on panel, 44x48
2023
Tall Tales #2
Tall Tales #2
mixed media on panel, 45x48
2023
History
History
mixed media on panel,48x60
2023
Top Story
Top Story
mixed media on panel, 36x45
2023
Fairy Tales
Fairy Tales
mixed media on panel, 36x45
2023
Buried Story
Buried Story
mixed media on panel, 45x48
2023
True Story
True Story
mixed media on panel, 48x72
2023
Tales of Happenstance
Tales of Happenstance
mixed media on panel, 48x60
2023
The Three Pillars
The Three Pillars
mixed media on panel, 64x72
2023
The Search
The Search
mixed media on panel, 45x48
2023
Her Story
Her Story
mixed media on panel, 45x48
2023
Artifact
Artifact
mixed media on panel, 36x42
2023
Short Story
Short Story
mixed media on panel, 32x36
2023
Story of a Good Life
Story of a Good Life
mixed media on panel, 45x48
2023

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