Don O'Bannon grew up in Dallas loving music, and the challenge of making a two dimensional surface come to life. His oil paintings carry the color and swing of jazz and capture the African American experience. His work hangs in private, corporate, and cultural collections across the United States.
It started at a dining room table and a bedroom window
The first O'Bannon studio wasn't a studio at all. Don's early paintings were made sitting on the bed, next to the bedroom window, as he worked out composition, color, and how to tell a story with a brush. That's where he settled on the rule he still paints by: every painting captures a moment and tells a story worth preserving.
Prior to picking up a paintbrush, Don earned his bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College and his law degree at the University of Virginia, and he has practiced law in Dallas for more than 40 years. The art never left. In his words, "I feel like I have come full circle from those early years when my highest aspiration was to be an artist."
Inside the studio
Don paints in the O'Bannon Studios in Dallas, Texas, usually with jazz playing. He works in oil on canvas and mixed media, building each piece slowly in layers of bold color and expressive brushwork. His technique blends realism with intuition, so the subject's presence comes through on its own. Select pieces are also presented on aluminum and wood.
He counts Pablo Picasso, John Biggers, and Jacob Lawrence among the artists who inspired his love of art early in his youth.
The Jazz Series
The Jazz Series turns sound into color and motion. A trumpet player lost in his solo. A second line parade rolling through a New Orleans street. A drummer caught mid-stroke under a single spotlight. Inspired by the music and cultural heritage of New Orleans, these paintings are meant to be felt as much as seen. The series sits alongside Don's historical work, which explores the African American journey, identity, resilience, and collective memory.
"My work explores the beauty and complexity of the human journey, with a lens focused on the African American experience. Each piece reflects identity, pride, resilience, and cultural memory drawn from both history and my personal experiences. Inspired by my lifelong love of music, history, and the cultural legacy of the south. I create paintings that form a visual dialogue between past and present."
Don O'Bannon
New in 2026
Art that moves
Nearly every Jazz Series painting now comes to life. Don and his wife, Marva partner to animate his paintings, adding motion and music to the original artwork. Point your phone at the painting, or at the card that comes with every Jazz Series print, and watch it play. The animation works on originals, canvas and paper prints, and even apparel.
The Portraits Collection
A new collection celebrating women in every hue and lineage begins with two 30 x 40 oil paintings, Portrait of Eve and Silent Soul, now available as limited edition prints. The original Portrait of Eve is available from the artist; Silent Soul's original is in a private collection. See the Portraits Collection.
On the road
- The Woodlands Fine Craft, Art and Design Show, The Woodlands, Texas, September 2026
- The Other Art Fair Atlanta, October 1 to 4, 2026
- ARToberFEST, Galveston, Texas, October 17 to 18, 2026
- Coming up: featured benefit artist, St. Augustine Alumni Mardi Gras Ball, Dallas, January 30, 2027
Exhibitions and honors
Don's work has been shown in museums, galleries, and art fairs across the country, including:
- African American Museum, Dallas
- Harlem Fine Arts Show, New York
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
- Art Basel Miami (exhibiting artist events)
- The Other Art Fair, Dallas and Atlanta
- Solo exhibition, Ten20 Gallery, Plano
- Featured artist, Spiralis Gallery, Maryland
- The Beauty of Blackness Art Show, Colorado
- National Medical Association, Chicago
- Red River Revel and the Texas and Neighbors juried art shows
Honors
- Best Historic Depiction, Juneteenth National Juried Art Competition
- Second Place, Oil Painting, and Best in Show Runner-Up, Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society
- Blue Ribbon Award, ARToberFEST Galveston, 2026, awarded on the festival jury's scores
Bring a painting home
Every print here starts as one of Don's original oil paintings. Limited Edition prints are made in finite runs, then signed and numbered by hand in his studio. Each one comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a card that lets you watch the painting come to life on your phone.
Shop the Studio Edition, 10×15 canvases ready to hang, from $165
Explore the Jazz Series, canvas and paper editions
View the Portraits Collection
Interested in an original painting or a commission? Visit obannonstudios.com or contact the studio.