Photo Gallery

Donovan (Don) Coppock

Painter and long-time resident of Seattle, now living in Mount Vernon, Washington.        

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About the Artist---  Born in California in 1933, Don was raised as an  “orchard kid” in central Washington’s Wenatchee Valley. After graduating  from high school in 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy,  served in the Pacific  during the Korean War and was honorably discharged  in 1955. After several years working in home construction, he attended  Central Washington University on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1962 with a  B.A. in Fine Art and minors in philosophy and industrial arts. He worked at Boeing and The  Military Manuals Company in Seattle before  entering graduate school at the University of Washington where he  graduated with an M.F.A. in sculpture in 1966. He studied with Chuck Smith,  George Tsutakawa,  Everett DuPen and NYC sculptor Gabriel Kohn.  Among   fellow students and friends were Robert Maki,  Roger Shimomura,  Ted Jonsson, Larry Beck and Gertrude Pacific.

Work Experience:

   Graphics and technical artist for The Boeing Company (1962-63) and The Military Manuals Company (MILMANCO ;  1963-66), Seattle.

   Taught sculpture, painting and lectured at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA (1966-67).

   Taught sculpture and three-dimensional foundation  design at The Art Academy of Cincinnati (1967-70) and exhibited widely  within the  region. Exhibition and awards history are on page  following.

   Returned to Seattle during recession of 1970.  Contracted with several firms as graphics designer/production artist  until starting own business (1978).

   Owner/operator of  Don Coppock Graphic Services  until semi- retirement in 1995. Produced a range of graphics for  individual businesses and the printing industry, production of magazines  and newsletters, technical illustration,  general design services and large evidenciary graphics for the legal  profession.

Present and Future:

    Now solidly retired,  Don is exploring painting full-time.

Scholarships/Art Awards and Prizes:

    Munson Scholarship, C.W.U –1960

    Sculpture Faculty Award U.of W. (research assistant) –1965

    Purchase Award, Faculties of Washington State  Colleges and Universities Invitational Art Exhibition , C.W.U.– 1966,  Richard Lippold, judge                     

    Cincinnati Zoo Art Festival (2 awards) – 1968, Eva Glimscher, Pace Gallery of Columbus & New York, judge

    All-Ohio Painting & Sculpture Exhibition Award,  Dayton Art Institute – 1968, Thomas Messer, Director of Solomon R.  Guggenheim Museum, New York, judge

    All-Ohio Painting & Sculpture Exhibition Award,  Dayton Art Institute – 1969, Samuel Wagstaff, Jr, Curator of  Contemporary Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, judge

  Major Award, Second Cincinnati Biennial – 1969  (award was one of three one-man shows to run concurrently at Cincinnati  Art Museum in 1970), Frank Gallo, Chicago sculptor a judge.

Exhibition History:

   Faculties of Washington State Colleges and Universities Invitational Art Exhibition, C.W.U, Ellensburg, WA –1966

   Sculpture N.W. Invitational, Seattle Art Museum Pavilion – 1967

   Group of Twenty-two Invitational, College of Mt. St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio – 1967

   First Cincinnati Biennial, Cincinnati Art Museum –1968

   All-Ohio Painting & Sculpture Exhibition, Dayton Art Institute – 1968

   Cincinnati Zoo Arts Festival – 1968

   Ohio Artists Invitational, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati==1968

   Two-man Invitational (with painter Richard J.  Boyle, Curator of Painting at Cincinnati Art Museum), Emery Gallery at  Our Lady of Cincinnati College – 1968

   All-Ohio Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, Dayton Art Institute –1969

   Invitational Exhibit of Weaving and Sculpture, Studio of San Giuseppe, College of Mt. St. Joseph, Cincinnati –1969

   15th National Drawing & Small Sculpture Show, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana – 1969

   Regional Fine Arts Biennial, J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky – 1969

   Cincinnati Zoo Arts Festival 1969

   “Fountains ‘69” Invitational, The Taft Museum, Cincinnati – 1969

   “Laser Light: A New Visual Art”, Invitational at Cincinnati Art Museum – 1969

   Second Cincinnati Biennial, Cincinnati Art Museum – 1969

   The Biennial Awards Exhibition, Cincinnati Art Museum (one-man show concurrent with one other artist) – 1970-71.

   Solo exhibition at David Cassera Gallery, Stanwood, WA - 2021

Museum Purchases:

   Laser piece “Alpha Chamber”, Cincinnati Art Museum – 1969. Construction of mixed media plus helium-neon laser.

   Sculpture “Wedge Series No. 11: Model for Large Floor Warp” – 1970, mixed media and automotive paint.

1970-1978:

   Returned to Seattle in 1970, bought home near Woodland Park. Middle of recession.

   Contracted as graphic designer/production artist at several typesetting firms.             

1978-1995: Founded and operated own graphics firm, Don Coppock Graphic Services, until semi- retirement in 1995.

1995-2014:

   Limited production of personal art during this long  hiatus; most artistic expression was manifested in the renovation and  modernization of his home as an avid D.I.Y.’er and craftsman; built a  15’ cedar-strip canoe among other projects.

2014-PRESENT:

   Solidly retired from business, sold home in 2014.

   Decided to express his concepts in paintings rather than sculpture. Now lives and works in Mount Vernon, WA.