D.E. HOLSINGER

Oils	Website: E-mail: deholsinger@verizon.net

Move your cursor over any image to see an enlargement.

Donnie lives near Broadway, VA on the family farm with his wife Shari and their three daughters Caroline (6), Bridget (6), and Laurel (4).  His girls are the ninth generation of Holsingers to live on the property since its purchase in 1773 from Valentine Sevier (father of  Gen. John Sevier, the founder of New Market, VA and the first governor of the state of Tennessee).

Donnie grew up west of Richmond, VA in Henrico County.  He started drawing in elementary school and while in the third grade won third place in the schools bi-centennial art competition.  First and second places were a song and a poem, respectfully.  Donnie drew a picture of Betsy Ross sewing the flag and it was his first rewarding accomplishment in art.  
 
While in middle school, Donnie illustrated pictures for the school’s yearbook and enjoyed taking art and shop classes.  He designed the best looking and fastest CO2 car in seventh grade and won a trophy.  Continuing to take art in high school,  Donnie began to excel in geometry and accounting.  This influenced his decision to pursue accounting in college. 

After a year of classes at Longwood College, Donnie transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University and took a drawing class along with his business curriculum.  Inspired by the energy and excitement of instructor Frank Heller (VCU,BFA) and his success at rendering the subjects, Donnie completed and submitted a portfolio to the school of the arts.  After being accepted, he began to take his general art classes over the next two years along with business.
 
After completing the art foundation program and submitting a portfolio for review, Donnie was accepted into the Communication Arts & Design Department at VCU.  This was not an easy department to get into, and he was very pleased to be a part of this group.  Choosing a track in illustration, Donnie found professor Robert Foster (Syracuse, MFA) very helpful in developing his painting skills and techniques.  Bob introduced Donnie to the classic illustrators of the Golden Age and emphasized the traditional aspects of these illustrations.  Illustration is simply fine art which meets the parameters of the client.  With the illustration department, Donnie went on a trip to the Delaware Art Museum & the Brandywine Art Museum to see Howard Pyle and his students works.  He was so inspired by the works of Pyle and three generations of Wyeths, Donnie knew he wanted to paint like that.  
 
During the last couple of years at VCU, Donnie pursued art totally and was implementing traditional fine art painting techniques with his illustration assignments.  This was unique for the time because most of the other illustration students were using popular techniques such as Prisma colored pencil on illustration board.  Showing up for critiques with oil and alkyd painted canvases got the class’ attention.  
 
Richmond Arts Magazine selected Donnie’s work to be published, and he had work accepted into the Communication Arts & Design Juried Exhibition.  After graduating with his BFA degree, he moved to the family farm in the Shenandoah Valley and began free-lance illustrating.  His clients include Apex Insurance, Lowe’s Corporation, Stihl Chainsaws and The New Market Battlefield Military Museum.  
 
As time went on, Donnie pushed his fine art paintings to the forefront.  His subjects reflect his interest in history, architecture, nature, the outdoors and places he travels, among others.  He personalizes each painting with a mood from either the present conditions the subject is in, memories and experiences implemented on the subject, or most often a combination of both.  Artist displaying this quality Donnie has a fondness for are Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth.  The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist have become more influential in Donnie’s work lately.  His medium of choice is oil; and he works on canvas or board.  His work has been in galleries locally in Richmond, Warrenton, and Mt. Jackson.