Donald Houston Curley

1934-2009

Born in Nova Scotia, Don spent the last 30 years of his life living and painting in Chester with his wife Trudi and sons Dijon and Rene. Most mornings he could be found having coffee with his friend, artist Jose Valverde at Julien’s Bakery.

Don began his studies at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, moved on to Mount Allison, eventually finding his true home in New York at the Art Students League, where he studied with Frank J. Reilly and Dean Cornwell. He also attended The Royal Academy, London, England. "A Hopeless Dawn" is a result of time spent in the Tate Museum in London, where as a student he copied the work of Bramley, 1888, receiving a perfect mark for the result. As a hungry student, he sold this painting only to find it years later in an auction, when he purchased it back.

During the summer, Don would load up the car with paint supplies to paint with portrait artist, Daniel E. Greene in North Salem, New York. The figurative studies are from this time.

Don designed ten coins for the Royal Canadian Mint, and was inducted

into "Who's Who in American Art" and "Who's Who in International Art",

when in 1996 a stamp was printed in Switzerland. He was given Honourary

Fellow of the International Biography Association, Cambridge, England,

and awarded Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal 2002,

presented by Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

Over the years, Don showed his work at Continental Gallery in Montreal, Quebec; Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, Texas, Whitten Gallery, King Ontario; Buckingham Fine Art, Uxbridge, Ontario and Gallery 1667, Halifax, Nova Scotia.