Donny Finley

Artist Biography

Nationally acclaimed Alabama artist Donny Finley takes as the core of his subject matter the rural American South in which he was raised. M. Stephen Doherty pointed out in a graceful program article for one of Finley's major shows, the "regional' art, prints and posters that he creates transcends any ostensibly specific time and space, becoming universal and powerful as we are personally touched by its humanity and beauty. Only briefly do his people and places seem exotic in their evocation of southern culture, and then the sheer talent manifested in his artistic technique helps us empathetically to appropriate and share the artist's own sensibility about his subject matter.

Finley's art, prints and posters proclaim there own excellence, so it should come as no surprise that the artist has won more than seventy awards and prizes including awards from the American Watercolor Society (1980), the Salmagundi Club (1985), and the National Academy of Design (1990). He was elected to membership in the American Watercolor Society (1984), and is included in Who's Who in American Art.

He has been the subject of several books, including Moments Captured (Luter, Nell, Jackson, Miss., Royal, 1987), and most recently Peace like a River (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House, 2001). Finley has been featured in articles in American Artist magazine, Southwest Art magazine, and other periodicals and journals. His art, prints and posters have been included in numerous corporate and museum collections and exhibitions, including the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Fine Arts Museum of the South (both Alabama) and the Columbus Museum of Arts and Sciences (Georgia).

Donny Finley Art, Prints and Posters Collection