We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Don Greytak, a well-known pencil illustrator from the Havre area, gave a talk last week at the Chinook Senior Center. Greytak shared about his upbringing and how he began drawing at the age of 42. During his presentation he described his process for coming up with and doing one of his drawings. He said a drawing like the one on the easel in the right section of the photograph would normally take him about three days to complete.
Don Greytak, a local artist from the Havre area, is best known for his ability to depict nostalgic scenes, especially from farms and ranches, of days gone by. His tools include a mechanical pencil, "the best quality paper I can buy" and his memories. He's been putting scenes to paper since 1978 when he first took up doing pencil illustrations at the age of 42. Don recently shared a brief history of his life and artistic endeavors with a group of seniors at the Chinook Senior Center.
Don was the fourth child in a family of 12 children. His dad raised cows and farmed. Don said his dad and all his brothers were good mechanics and had a talent for things mechanical himself. Growing up in the 30s and 40s Don shared, "I saw the change in farming from relying mostly on horses to power equipment to the beginnings of what is now modern 'agri-business.''' Many of Don's drawings, both serious and humorous, are based on "what I remember seeing as I was growing up."
His mechanical inclination is especially evident in the detail he gives to pieces of equipment that he draws in his scenes. He explained, "When I draw a piece of equipment I want a viewer who knows what that piece should look like to be pleased the equipment is correctly presented." During the presentation an audience member asked Don, "Can you draw the difference between a 1954 and a 1955 such and such pickup?" The artist laughed and said, "Of course I can."
Doing and selling pencil illustrations
Don told, "Early on I had no idea what I wanted to do for my life's work. I farmed and ranched for a number of years. Then I did a stretch as an auto mechanic at Doughten Ford in Chinook. I was hired to "clean up and fix up" used cars for resale. Then a mechanic quit and I started repairing vehicles. Even though I seemed to have a knack for fixing vehicles, it didn't work for me."
Later he obtained a pilot's license and mechanic's certificate. "The first major mechanical job I did on an airplane," he recalls, "was to replace some major component. As I was working the plane's owner was looking over my shoulder and asked, "Have you done this job before?"" I said, "Nope, this is my first time." The owner said, "When we test fly this plane you're riding with me on the first loop."
Thankfully Don found his niche doing drawing with a pencil. He shared, "I started in the drawing business at an ideal time. People were looking for hanging art that looked back historically. And I had the ideal background to do that kind of art: born in the 1930s and had farming/ranching experience when equipment was mainly horse drawn; had lots of experience as a farmer and rancher; and was blessed with a father and brothers who were all mechanically inclined, as was I.
When thinking about a drawing Don said he tries to visualize how the final product might look. He never draws from a photograph but does use photos for background like a piece of farm equipment or a locale he wants to include in a drawing.
"The main thing when doing art," he said, "is to know what you want to do. I never think about drawings I've done in the past, I'm always thinking about what I want to do next." Regarding his drawing style Don commented that "people like the way I can portray facial expressions...that really is my strong suit." Then he shared a secret technique, "When I get stumped on how a certain emotion should be drawn, I look in a mirror." He added, "I was born able to use techniques that make a drawing different. I really can't explain how that happens."
Greytak credits Kathy Shirilla, his business agent, with much of his business success as an artist. She owns the Old Library Gallery in Havre where many of Greytak's works are on sale. "Kathy," he explained, "knows how to promote artists and sell their art." One of his major sources of income from his art is selling numbered copies of his drawings. Over the years he's produced 500 copies each of some 396-97 separate drawings. He's also done individual drawings upon request. Really complicated individual drawings can sell for up to $5000.
Don believes he started his drawing work at just the right time, when people wanted hanging art. "Now," he said, "a new generation has all the art they want in their cell phone. And the folks who remember the 'good old days' of farming and ranching are disappearing and not at the stage of life where they are looking to acquire more art." Still, he finds potential buyers who like his drawings for their clarity and for how they reconnect with a past time that is gone forever.
At 88 years of age Don is going strong. He still loves to take long walks and "that's where some of my ideas for drawing begin to take shape." He's still doing his famous pencil illustrations and selling them in person and online. Since the calendar year 1992 he's been doing drawings for the Montana 4-H Foundation's annual calendar. Calendar sales help support 4-H youth programs.
Greytak's pencil drawings can be viewed and purchased online at http://www.dongreytak.com or call the Old Library Gallery at 406-265-8165 for more information about the artist and his work.
