11/2 - Wine Educator Mark Davidson of Wine Australia USA & Renowned American Impressionist Artist Don Hatfield

Wine Educator Mark Davidson
of Wine Australia USA

We blended the art of the brush with the art of the glass in welcoming wine educator Mark Davidson of Wine Australia USA, who shared some secrets of Australia's cool climate wines and dispelled a few myths in the process! Then we visited with artist Don Hatfield, one of the most innovative and widely collected impressionists of our time.

Mark Davidson - Born in London, raised in Sydney, Mark has been a Canadian resident since 1985.  He has over twenty five years experience in the hotel and restaurant business, fifteen of those as a Sommelier.

In 1990, Mark was named Best French Wine and Spirit Sommelier in British Columbia, and in 2001 he was named Sommelier of the Year by the British Columbia Restaurant and Food Service Association. 

As a Department Head and instructor with the International Sommelier Guild, he is instrumental in the ongoing development of the curriculum and has taught classes in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. 

Mark is currently the Market Development Manager for Wine Australia USA, conducting education seminars for Sommeliers, retailers and distributors.  In addition, he does a weekly radio wine review on CKNW, and developed a wine education and restaurant etiquette course for the SFU Global Asset and Wealth Management MBA program.

Artist Don Hatfield

Don Hatfield - One of the most innovative and prolific impressionists of this century, Don Hatfield's style of painting gently combines realism with the delicate feel of classic impressionism. Hatfield paints images that invoke memories for the viewer by honing in on his subjects during one specific moment in their lives. His concept and technique are both traditional and his works encapsulate powerful yet at the same time peaceful emotions with glowing and alluring hues. Being an artist was not always Don Hatfield's  aspiration. Don Hatfield believed that his talents lied in other areas including philosophy, theology, and literature.

When Hatfield met the renowned artist Charles Cross, he then discovered his ability to paint. Cross was impressed with Don's "innate color sense" that was displayed in the soft pastel colors of his oil paintings. Cross encouraged Don to pursue his talents by becoming his protégé.

Two years of study with Cross was not enough to convince Don to focus all of his energy on the world of art; he abandoned his short career in art to pursue a career in ministry. However, his desire to become an artist was too strong to ignore. In 1979, on the advice of the premier portrait painter Ray Kinstler, Hatfield moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to pursue painting once again.

Hatfield eventually moved back to Los Angeles to fulfill his creative potential under the master tutelage of Sergei Bongart, who had a tremendous influence on him. "He was a wonderful presence," Don says' "a great teacher." It was during this time with Bongart that Don diligently worked and perfected his style that we recognize today.

In his development as an artist, Don had the added influence of modern cinematic interpretation. Affected by the new mastery of color on film, in advertising and television, he felt a need for a more intoxicating light, another dimension to the beach attraction. Seeking a truth in the paint itself. He documented that fleeting essence of the tender, the humorous, the enchantment of a special moment in time. This unique impressionistic style has brought him great acclaim in the art world, as well as a solid artistic identity of his own.

Hatfield says he is preoccupied with the effect of light on form. The beach, with all the purity of its light on sand, water and figures, is a frequent setting for his stories; and his paintings are stories. "On the beach," Hatfield says, "the viewer is given enough space to have his own reaction."

Don Hatfield's one-of-a-kind impressionism has earned him great acclaim in the art world.

Don's paintings hang in many important private and corporate collections throughout the world.

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