Page 39 - the NOISE October 2015

inSpirAtion AMong the cloUdS
A bAllooNNeer WitH A VisioN
OPPOSITE PAGE: Tecopa Bluffs Sunset is one of Don Graham’s newest works; ABOVE: Verde Valley Monsoon is exemplary of the lofty views of the veteran flight master.
story by NiKKi cHArNstroM
Living a double life as a painter and hot air balloonist, Don Graham utilizes both to carry out he is working with one primary color on a painting, he will switch to another completely dif-
his passions, intertwining them with equal attention.
in the elementary classroom, he was known as the school artist because of his mischievous
personality and whimsical attitude. since first grade, he has been focused on his art. His teach- ers at the time inquired why he doodled constantly rather than doing his assignments but he didn’t let their comments stop him.
As the years passed mr. Graham continued to paint and in 1970 he began his three-year apprenticeship as a sign painter with a company by the name of “signs by Del mar” in Apple Valley, california.
“if no one buys paintings, someone will always need a sign,” he explains.
His role as a hot air balloon pilot began in the ‘80s when he earned his license and in ’95 it became his job. He has been flying for his current outfit, Verde Valley Balloons (formerly Arizona Balloon works) since 2008. it began as a seasonal part-time job until eventually they hired him on and it became his full time career. recently the companies changed hands and he was given studio space in the barn among the balloon equipment as an act to keep him on the team. it is here that he develops and executes his art ideas when he is not flying amid the
clouds.
Ballooning has shaped his art into aerial landscapes for those who do not see the world from above. with a military aviation influence from his father, he was inspired at a young age. “i’ve always loved things that fly,” mr. Graham expresses.
He explains ballooning to be the closest thing to an out-of-body experience without actually leaving the body. Being in the air forces you to be attentive and on your toes, which he consid- ers to be an exercise for the brain.
“it’s a real challenge. it keeps me physically and mentally active,” he considers.
Before he was a pilot, he would draw inspiration from hiking, the deserts, mountains, motor-
cycle rides, off-road driving, and at times scuba diving. mr. Graham has been scuba diving since the ‘80s, around the same time he began flying. “its kind of like ballooning but under water,” he says. His first experience was in the waters of newport Beach; likewise he prefers warm tropical waters without the necessity of a wetsuit.
today, he paints from those distant images as the well as the “skyscape” views. He especially enjoys painting anything with clouds in it.
“You’re going to see something at some point that you are going to paint,” he explains.
As a painter, mr. Graham sees the world above from a different perspective. He says because
of his life experiences he can see things other people may not. color, light, shadow, and per- ception are details he notices in vivid extremes. the northern landscape is his preferred route to fly rather than the urban scene; and this can be seen throughout his work. whether in the air or on the ground, he snaps photographs of what lies before him and infuses them into his paintings.
“i like to be technically accurate so people can see it,” he proclaims.
ideally, he finds himself communicating realistic representations of what he has seen. mysti-
cal or metaphysical representations are not his artistic style; instead he attempts to paint what
others are not. He tends to sway to the unique approach of his aerial views in the hopes that “some youngin’” will take up flying.
mr. Graham would describe his work to be eclectic. He dabbles in a little bit of everything to avoid pigeonholing himself. As an artist he finds he paints with his emotions, to whatever he is feeling at the time. to keep things fresh, he rotates between paintings for periods of time. if
ferent tone.
with other responsibilities, he is intentional when it comes to his art. while he is on the
ground he makes an effort to paint for a dedicated amount of time each day. ideally, he puts from 40 to 100 hours in a painting. At the completion of a painting he gains satisfaction in the process of doing something from beginning to end. “i can look at a piece and say wow i did that,” he states. in the end he paints for two solid purposes, himself and for others’ enjoyment. He recently has been signing his completed work as Full Moon Flyer in order to separate him- self from the other Don Graham’s in the world.
As an artist, mr. Graham has been influenced by the world around him and shaped through experiences over his lifetime.
“mother nature in general; the world is my inspiration,” he says. “i’ve got some influences, positive influences but i don’t want to share them with the public.”
other than nature, he has also been impacted by the various jobs he held over the years. one specifically for example still resonates with him. in the early ‘80s before he was a bal- loonist, he worked in a mine in Death Valley as an emt. when he wasn’t making the rounds of safety checks, his coworkers would ask him to spray paint whimsical hieroglyphics on the underground walls. not only was this job an opportunity for him to work somewhere he had never been before but it allowed him to gather artistic experiences. “You go through an experi- ence and you want to paint it,” he describes.
Artistically, he wants to leave a positive impact on this world in the hopes that his work in- spires someone to do something constructive. He desires to be remembered for being the best at what he did over his lifetime, without hurting anyone in the process.
Last year, mr. Graham freed himself of his ten-year “creative blockage;” a dry spell of dead- end paintings. since last year he has successfully completed ten paintings and continues to find the urge to sit down at the easel. For those artists facing similar obstacles, he encourages,
“Don’t give up on yourself! Give yourself some credit and have faith in yourself. take a deep breath. take a break and do something else but don’t give up,” he directs.
if presented with the choice to sacrifice either ballooning or painting, he feels they are too deeply threaded to physically be able to choose just one. Although, he does feel he will be a painter for the rest of his life as long as his eyesight keeps up with him. As a pilot, he knows he will only be able to keep up with it for so long but he will never give up some form of flying. “it’s such a deep part of me,” he expresses. when the time comes and he is no longer “fly worthy,” he plans to ride along with other pilots for his flying fix.
without art, mr. Graham is unsure of his purpose of life on earth. “if i wasn’t doing art, i don’t know what i would be doing,” he explains. “it gives me a reason for being.”
in ten years, he envisions himself with access to a fully equipped art studio of his own. Al- though with no particular location in mind, he wants it to be off-the-grid and energy self-suf- ficient (solar powered).
“if i’m lucky there would be an airplane hanger attached to it as well,” mr. Graham imagines.
| Nikki charnstrom is on the look-out for new art in Flagstaff.
arts@thenoise.us
thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • october 2015 • 39