Douglas Donaldson (1882 – 1972) was an American metalworker. He was born in Detroit and professionally active in Los Angeles. He was one of the most influential proponents of the Arts and Crafts movement in Los Angeles.
Biography
Donaldson taught design, metalwork and jewellery at numerous schools in and near Los Angeles, including his first position, director of manual arts, That roop Polytechnic (succeeded by Rudolph Schaeffer). Subsequently, he was a teacher at the new Chouinard School of Art and head of the art department, at Los Angeles Manual Arts High School. After teaching at Otis Art Institute, he established his School of Decorative Design, in Hollywood, California, in the 1920s.
Collaboration with Wife
Donaldson and his Wife, Louise Donalson, were appointed to select applied arts entries for the Southern California section of the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. Donaldon’s gold-medal-winning entry for the fair was a covered chalice distinguished by elaborate repoussé and enamel work and crowned by a delicate opal finial carved in the shape of a bird.
He established a decorative arts guild with his wife, showing distinctive crafts gathered nationwide. In 1925, he was elected first vice-president of Southern California’s newly organized Arts and Crafts Society. He was associated with Arts and Crafts movement artisans, including Ernest Batchelder, James Winn, Ralph Johonnot, and Rudolph Schaeffer; he emphasized to his students that ‘the conception of beautiful ideas must lead the way — the technical processes simply being the words which compose the language of art.’
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
Trapp, K. R., Bowman, L. G., Oakland Museum., Renwick Gallery., & Cincinnati Art Museum. (1993). The arts and crafts movement in California: Living the good life. Oakland, Calif: Oakland Museum.
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Books| Arts and Crafts
Hopscotch Girls I Am Confident, Brave & Beautiful: Inspirational Coloring Books for Kids - Coloring Books for Kids ages 4-8 - Fun Kids Coloring Books - Coloring Books Girls with 24 Coloring Pages
Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 Projects (Dover Woodworking)
Little Angels (Dover Stickers)
Old-Time Patriotic Stickers: 28 Pressure-Sensitive Designs (Dover Stickers)
Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Homes and Bungalows
Authentic Designs from the American Arts and Crafts Movement (Dover Pictorial Archive)
Old-Time Cherubs Stickers (Dover Stickers)
Craftsman Homes: Architecture and Furnishings of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
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