Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 2005
One of the most precious moments in childhood is watching a little child pray in all their innocence and purity. A spiritual man, Zolan believed that children were God’s angels on earth. Bedtime Prayer was a painting created for a special man who commissioned Zolan to do a portrait of their grandson.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x30
Date: 2005
It is wonderful to hear the sounds of giggles and laughter of two little girls sharing a happy moment together. Their laughter and happiness is so contagious that it brings a smile to the heart. This is the joy and life that emanates in each of Zolans’ paintings just as these feelings were a natural part of the man himself.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 1999
What better way to share a first kiss than with puckered lips smothered in ice cream ready to give your little boyfriend a smack on the cheek. This painting is all about the spontaneity of life simply doing something that comes naturally without thinking about it. Ice cream was Zolan’s favorite dessert all of his life. Vanilla was his favorite flavor and always his first choice. He once said, “why change? I love vanilla”.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 1994
In the 1970’s, Zolan had a gallery on Nantucket Island where he created a series of the great Native American Chiefs which eventually were published on collector plates. His style was bold, bright, and colorful very loose and free. Many years later, Zolan traveled to Taos, New Mexico. Inspired by the spirituality of the land of the Southwest, he created a new series of paintings of Native American children. Rain Dancer was the first in the collection.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 1999
Our Little World shows a big brother marveling at his baby brother and most likely thinking of all the things they can do together when he gets a little older. Zolan loved to capture these intimate moments and precious expressions that emanate from children’s curiosity. Thirteen years later, Zolan’s Brotherly Love painting would be the inspiration for Our Little World.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 2008
All children delight at puppies and this little girl radiates with sheer joy to see these cute little puppies scrunched together in a tiny box. Zolan painted her so masterfully that one can feel her sense of exhilaration. The background of the painting was sketched on one of Zolan’s summer trips to Nantucket Island.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x30
Date: 1999
A vacation to the seaside was one of Zolan’s favorite summer get aways. He loved water, its energy and force and the beach. Summers at the beach always reminded him of his childhood trips to the Indiana Sand Dunes or Lake Michigan. And, listening to the sound of the sea in a shell is an experience that makes all of us a child within.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil and Digital Media
Size: 13x16
Date: 2007
There is a time in life when everyone has gazed out the window reflecting on the day or simply daydreaming. In Starry Night, this little girl hugs her teddy in her hands and gazes at the beautiful night stars. Who knows what thoughts are crossing her mind or maybe she is saying an evening prayer to an angel. Zolan loved to Daydream, it was a time when the mind and the imagination were free to explore.
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x40
Date: 2008
It is so natural for children to want to hug something they love, carry it with them, squeeze it, play with it, pull its nose and do all sorts of antics. In Hugs and Kisses, Zolan shows a tender moment of a child hugging her little puppy with all her heart and soul. Zolan said, “I really wanted to capture the feeling of love, warmth, closeness and trust between the little girl and her puppy. It was the same feeling that I had as a child with my dog Skipper, always loving, always to be trusted and always there waiting for me.”
Artist: Donald Zolan
Media: Oil on Canvas
Size: 30x30
Date: Late 1980’s
Commissioned by Pemberton & Oakes in the late 1980’s, the painting was created in the Carmel by the Sea studio. Those were the days when little children were placed in sinks and given a bath. This little guy is surely loving his bath and delighting in the feel of the warm water against his skin. The expression on his face is one of bliss simply enjoying the day.