Rich hues, prominent shadows and a style that varies from impressionistic to near realism are some of the elements that distinguish the paintings of Donald Hildreth.

Donald was born in Los Angeles, California, graduated from UCLA  and worked as an engineer in the space program. He then ventured into Southern California real estate, buying, restoring and selling commercial and residential properties.

His formal art training began at age 50. Searching for a fulfilling challenge, he began painting and found a passion that he could pursue for the rest of this life.

Although, primarily self-taught, he has studied with such gifted mentors as Kim English, Ovanes Berberian, Jove Wang, and Ted Goerschner. His natural talent, which lay dormant for a half a century, may be genetically endowed: he is a direct descendant of Jasper Francis Cropsey, an eminent Hudson River School painter.

His paintings have been the subject of feature articles in Southwest Art and Art of the West magazines. Museum exhibitions include the Phippen Museum (Prescott, Arizona), Newington-Cropsey Foundation (Hastings-on-Hudson, New York), and in California, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Pasadena Museum of California Art, and the Pasadena Museum of History.