People like to believe there are castles still. That’s the word from Cannon Beach artist Donny Masterson, who would like to be castle host and offer his home as a sanctuary for artists needing a retreat from the hustles and bustles of life.
   “Maybe a monastic castle in the desert, but it would be really high tech,” said Donny, 25. “It would be a crossing of Old and New World, where artists can come and rest and be encouraged, to have a place where they to take their understanding of the truth. That’s my ultimate goal, because everyone needs a break now and then.”

Focus, balance are key for local artist; painting joyfully is goal

   It was a needed break that brought Donny to Cannon Beach from Nashville two summers ago. And it was a long and circuitous route that got the Oregon native to Nashville in the first place.
   Born in Hermiston to an educator and homemaker, Donny did most of his growing up in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from high school there and spent two years at Prairie Bible College.
   The academic side of higher education didn’t really appeal to Donny, but the community aspect did. He especially enjoyed the friendships he made, and the music scene, which appealed to his artistic side.
    When the school discovered that Donny wouldn’t be returning as a student, they convinced him to join the staff as a graphic designer, something he’d been doing for years sans computer.

   But Donny’s a quick learner, and soon he was creating portfolios and CD packages for a number of musical groups. He moved to Nashville and worked as a graphic designer for Provident Music Company. Donny described the arrangement as “pretty good,” but the lifestyle got to him.
   “The music scene was more than I could handle,” he explained. “I couldn’t really understand my own position there. I had made fun of the industry but I was working for them, so it was kind of a paradox.”
   Donny decided it was time for a road trip, and Cannon Beach came to mind. He’d been here before, and figured it was a good place for some R&R. 
   He rested, painted houses off and on and got reinvolved with music groups in Nashville. Donny served as road manager for a three-month tour for Matt Brouwer, a band from Nova Scotia that was experiencing some commercial success. 

   Donny returned to Nashville, did some more graphic design work that included a new corporate logo for Reunion Records.  But all the while he was touring and in Nashville, something made him want to return to Cannon Beach.
   So he made plans to head west, but before he did, he wanted to see how much weight he could gain.
   “That’s just the weird world of Donny Masterson,” he quipped. “I knew I would go back and work out with James Farentino (co-owner of Pizza a Fetta) and I just wanted to see how much weight I could put on.”
   He jumped from 165 to 200 pounds, then worked his tail off when he returned. The friendship with James, bolstered by Farentino’s personal trainer efforts, grew into a business relationship. Donny helped Farentino with a business plan for his new venture: Bela Espresso. Farentino knew of Donny’s artistic endeavors and encouraged him to do something in the new shop.

                   “He gave me some freedom, and he gave me borders,” said Donny. “I learned that inside borders there is so much freedom. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, artistically and spiritually.”
   He painted a full-wall mural in the specialty coffee shop and has several free-standing paintings hanging there. He plans to set up an easel there shortly and have several new pieces ready for the Stormy Weather Arts Festival, which is the first week of November.
   Donny has been interested in art as long as he can remember, but has never had any formal training. It’s a decision he both regrets and celebrates.
   “It seemed to me that art professors encouraged free thought but tried to mold you,” said Donny. “At the same time, it would be nice to have some direction, but I found there’s lots of freedom in experimenting.”

   That experimentation led to Donny’s development of his own style of painting. He works in acrylics and starts with what he calls are color values which he then tries to detail.
   “It’s like taking a picture that’s out of focus, then focusing in,” he explained. “I take colors and shapes then focus them in until I start seeing what they are. It’s really the only way I know how to do it.”
   Donny says that most of his paintings, which include portraits and architectural landscapes, are images that create a healthy balance of dissonance and consonance, which gives the viewer the idea that something is wrong, but still provides peace and hope.
   “There’s a lot of melancholy in my work,” he said. “But there’s a peaceful discontent. My art shows tension, which is where the real beauty is.”
   Conceptualizing the image that he’ll paint is the most challenging aspect of his artwork because it’s the most critical.

    “Once you have that, it’s just a matter of capturing the concept or image,” said Donny. “Bringing it out in two dimensions is the easy part. The hard part is knowing what to bring out.”
   For commissioned work, he asks those he’s working for for their input. It’s a process that helps with the conceptualization, and provides supreme satisfaction when all goes well.
   “I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than having people be part of a project,” said Donny. “I had thought I haven’t been skilled enough to have what’s in my heart and soul come out with other people, but I don’t think that anymore.”
   He said he loves helping people promote what it is they love or do, and he enjoys using he perspective to create whatever it is — art or music labels — to achieve that goal and support whomever in the visual marketplace.

   Donny also recognizes there’s an intricate balance between supporting himself and providing for others, whether it’s with commercial or fine art.
   “The whole endeavor, without giving to others, would be fruitless,” said Donny. “But it cheapens the work if you don’t ask for anything.”
   He says he’s in a “confused” state of employment now, having given up his position as manager of Bela Espresso a few weeks ago. He’d like to focus on his art, but realizes he needs to learn how to paint joyfully while making a living at it. His ultimate goal is the castle, but he’d also like to produce a couple of artistic but popular films. Donny loves film because it incorporates so many aspects of art: visual, lyrical, musical.

   When he isn’t painting, Donny likes to hit a bucket of balls at the driving range, and he has a real passion for driving. He has more than 400,000 miles on his car and a weekend trip to see friends in Nashville isn’t out of the question.  He also likes to just think, but says that has its drawbacks.
   “When you think, you can’t ever get away from yourself,” he added. “And that can drive you mad.”

© 2002 Cannon Beach Gazette  Reprinted by permission.