Donald
Evans
The Amsterdam Artist
1945-1977
Donald Evans was my second cousin. He
was three years younger, born in Morristown, New Jersey,
in 1945. My family moved to Morristown in 1950, just
before we moved to California in 1951. Later, Donald and
I both became stamp collectors.
A father's frustration with his artist son's chosen
career shows in this portion of a letter from Donald's
father, Charles F. Evans, to my father, David Hedges
Roll, Sr., dated February 27, 1975.
"....Our only child, Donald, is now 29 years old,
and is still single. He is a Cornell graduate architect,
but prefers to work as a free-lance artist. He has been
living in Amsterdam, Holland, for the past three or four
years, although he travels quite extensively both in
Europe and America.
"His specialty is an unusual one, he watercolor
paints postage stamps of imaginary countries and sells
them mostly at art exhibits to other artists and also
stamp collectors. He also does work occasionally for the
New York Times, drawing stamps related to certain feature
articles. It is difficult for me to see much of a future
for him in such a specialty for which there is such a
limited market; nevertheless he earns enough to be self-sustaining
and is happy in what he is doing.
"Donald will be home in another week or two to
attend an opening of an exhibit of his stamps in an art
gallery in New York...."
He was a brilliant archtect, but Donald found no joy in
the work. So he did what he enjoyed most. His work is now
desired by many.
A tragic fire in the upper floor of the apartment
building where he lived in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1977
caused his death.
A photograph of his room shows the simplicity of his life.
A bed, table, chair, small rug, and a potted plant. He
loved books, but hid most of them in the closet, or kept
them at friends' homes.
_____
Eisenhart, Willy. The World Of Donald Evans. New
York: Harlin Quist, 1980. First ed. 4to., 173 pp., col.
illus., Bibliography. 29 cm. ISBN 0-8252-9658-7. A
collection of color reproductions of the art stamps of
Donald Evans and his biography are presented.
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