Yaun’s painting of Clark home part of August exhibit
The Okefenokee Heritage Center is hosting the works of Georgia contemporary impressionist painter Don Yaun throughout August.
Although Yaun lives in Buford, Georgia, he has strong connections to Waycross.
OHC Executive Director Carla Garrett Cornett saw Yaun’s artwork on Facebook, where she follows many museums and artists. She was so taken with Yaun’s work, she contacted him about bringing an exhibit to Waycross.
Cornett also noticed Yaun is a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., and knew immediately she needed to connect Yaun and OHC Art Gallery Director Bob Brown, also a Ringling graduate.
During the fortuitous meeting between the artists, Brown introduced Yaun to a portrait of OHC founder Susan Lott Clark. Yaun was surprised to see the face of the woman he’d met during the summer of 1976, whose name he had forgotten but who had helped him so much in the past.
Yaun met Clark after graduating from Waycross Technical College in 1973. Yaun was working in Alma illustrating trains and railroad depots when he was told there was a woman in Waycross who was extremely knowledgeable about trains and the history of the area.
“So, I came over, and she was tremendous. She did a world of good,” said Yaun.
“When I met Bob here in Waycross, he introduced me to a painting of her (Clark) and informed me of who she is. I decided I’d do a painting of her home for this show.”
Yaun said he realized everything had come full circle.
“Seeing the portrait tied a lot of things together,” he said. “I came to Waycross, went to school, met a Mrs. Clark, moved away, met Bob, came back to Waycross, and found Mrs. Clark again.”
Yaun said his passion for art began in the fifth grade when his older brother, Ted, received a college catalogue from what was then Ringling School of Art.
“I fell in love with the catalogue and realized, this is what I’m going to do,” he recalled After graduating from Ringling, Yaun married fellow artist Debra Kauffman and moved to Chamblee, a suburb of Atlanta. They soon realized they didn’t want to be near the city.
“We got an opportunity to move to Buford and purchase some land. We bought 11.5 acres of hardwoods and have lived there for 45 years. I love it,” the artist said.
Yaun worked in graphic arts, illustration, photography, and tradeshow design until retiring in 2020.
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