Meet Don Woodard

We had the good fortune of connecting with Don Woodard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Don, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Having been self-employed since finishing college, taking risks is part of business success, although all risks are not always successful. Also, having been a successful professional race car driver probably speaks for itself regarding risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is defined as 3-Dimensional Paintings. After creating a design on paper, I transfer the design to a piece of wood, then hand carve the design in relief into the wood, then skillfully paint the design. I could just as easily painted the image on canvas or on to a wood panel, but to set my work apart, I have chosen to use my wood carving skills to define my unique style.

All my artworks are inspired from my personal experiences, rather it be visiting a National Park, hiking mountain trails, leading pack-horse trips into the Rocky Mountain Wilderness, or traveling to so some destination either by foot, by horse, by motorcycle, or by vehicle.

Auto racing has been the foundation for my entire career. After hiring a sign painter to letter my race car, I saw the opportunity to use my education in art to become a sign painter, Then after developing and marketing an artistic product to the auto racing industry via trade shows, I saw the opportunity to convert my sign company into an exhibit company. Many of the skills I learned designing and building race cars became valuable in the design and construction of exhibits, used for trade shows, visitor centers, and museums. This career provided me an exciting and interesting living for over 40 years. In 2024 I was inducted into the Colorado Motorsport Hall of Fame, which I consider to be the “Cherry on Top” of my career path.

After retiring from the exhibit industry in 2018 I decided to pursue my fine art career in creating my 3-Dimensional Paintings. I originally started creating this style of artwork about 30 years ago, first as a hobby, then in 2012 began showing my artworks in art shows. Since 2012 I have been participating in juried art shows around the country and within the past couple of years have been showing my artworks in Art Museums and Art Centers as solo art exhibitions.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, it would not be in the city! We would head to the mountains for skiing, hiking, horseback riding, or just sight seeing. With the right people, anywhere can be a great time and laughter is very important.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since my career spans from designing, building and driving race cars, to opening a commercial sign shop, to converting the sign company into an exhibit company, and now since retiring and becoming a full time artist, there are many people who contributed to each step throughout my career. The support of my family members, friends, customers and vendors were all equally important to my career.

Website: https://www.DonWoodard.com

Instagram: don_artworks

Image Credits
Dennis Bennett