Don Rankin

Don Rankin was born, December 9,1942 near Birmingham, Alabama and is a full time Assistant Professor of Art in the School of the Arts, Samford University.

Don works in egg tempera, oil and watercolor. He is perhaps better known for his watercolor technique.

He is best known for his rural landscapes and figurative work as well as portraits of Shawnee relatives.

The artist studied privately as well as in formal art school.

He trained with the Famous Artist School in Westport, Connecticut

The Drawing Board College of Fine Art, Birmingham, AL .

Summer Study/travel in Italy and France,

BA in Fine Art & Psychology, Samford University, Birmingham, AL

Ph.D. in Visual Communication, The Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio

Don’s work was influenced by many artists from various time periods. The works of American masters such as Sargent, Homer, Eakins, and Wyeth provided a great deal of inspiration. He was also influenced by

the works of European masters such as Carravaggio, Reubens, David, Rembrandt and Zorn.

Cenno Cennini’s book entitled Lavoro Delle Arte provided the spark for Don’s work with a technique in watercolor that is best described as a similar visual effect as glazing.

Don’s work has been featured in many magazine articles, newspapers and periodicals. Most notable was a feature on the Watercolor Page of American Artist magazine, March , 1980.

That was followed by a chapter in Painting the Landscape by Elizabeth Leonard in 1984.

Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor by Don Rankin was published in 1986.

Painting from Sketches, Photographs and the Imagination by Don Rankin was published in 1987.

Answers to 50 of the Most Often Asked Questions About Watercolor Glazing Techniques by Don Rankin 1990.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Watercolor edited by Marian Appelof 1992.

The artist’s books are distributed by Watson-Guptill Publications, Phaidon Press in the United Kingdom, /

Korean Copyright Translation (2001) by Sul Chae Hwa Publishing Co. through Inter Ko Corporation Korea, Distributed in Europe, the Far East, Southeast and Central Asia and South America by RotoVision S.A. 9 Route Suisse, CH-1295 Mies, Switzerland.

A revised updated version of Mastering Glazing Techniques in Watercolor, Volume 1 is now available through Amazon.com

Beginning in the 1990’s Don began to expand his experiments by working with layers of acrylic inks on different surfaces including home-made paper. While he still paints in a conventional manner he still enjoys exploring differing avenues in order to enhance his understanding.

Don is a patron member of the Portrait Society of America, member of Oil Painters of America, a member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico and a co-founder, charter life member of the Southern Watercolor Society.

He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, Marquis Who’s Who, & Marquis Who’s Who in American Education. Don’s work is also included in the New York Art Review 1987.

His work has been featured in many regional, national and international exhibitions. His work can be found in numerous private collections.