David Fairrington (born 18 October 1940) is an American artist. Mostly associated with his realistic portraits, Fairrington paints a variety of subjects including landscapes, still life, and western art in a range of styles including abstract, conceptual, fantasy, figurative, impressionist, pop art and romantic. He attributes artist

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

and famed illustrator

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

as significant influences in his work.INLAND: Beautmont artist featured at Redlands Show
The Press Enterprise, 10/07/2011.

Early life

Fairrington was born into a military household in 1940 at Fort Lewis. His father, Ralph W. Fairrington was a career soldier in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. His mother was Grace L. Fairrington. Inspired by the popularity of an older brother who could draw, Fairrington tried his hand at sketching airplanes but soon discovered he could draw faces well enough that people were willing to pay him for portraits.True Reflections on Canvas by Gail Klausner, Culver City Life, March 1999. His used this talent to help pay his way through

Texas Technological College Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

, now known as Texas Tech University. While at Texas Tech, Fairrington also served as a staff artist for the 1961 La Ventana yearbook.La Ventana Yearbook, 1961
/ref> He graduated in 1964, with a bachelor's degree in advertising art and design. That year he was also selected as a winning artist in the Motorola National Competitive Exhibition. Fairrington spent the next spent two years working for different advertising agencies.

Vietnam Combat Art Program

In 1966 Fairrington was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He completed basic training at

Fort Polk Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the first ...

and was assigned to the Postal Department at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

. During his off-duty hours, he took art classes at South Eastern College in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

VietnamCombatArtFairringtonSpec4CATVI1968

After a year at Fort Sill, Fairrington received orders sending him to the 43rd Signal Battalion based in

Pleiku Pleiku is a city in central Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province. Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or De ...

. While there he heard about the

Vietnam Combat Artists Program In June 1966, the Army Vietnam Combat Artists Program was established as part of the United States Army Art Program, utilizing teams of soldier-artists to make pictorial records of U.S. Army activities in the course of the Vietnam War for the a ...

and submitted an application along with a collection of drawings and paintings. He was accepted into the program and assigned to the Army Combat Artist Team VI in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

.Letter of Appreciation, Department of the Army, Office of the Adjutant General, 16 July 1968. After 60 days of temporary duty capturing his impressions in preliminary sketches, Fairrington flew to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

to complete his paintings.Artist Portrays War, The Communicator, 1968. His work was exhibited at

Ala Moana Center The Ala Moana Center, commonly known simply as Ala Moana, is a large open-air shopping mall in the Ala Moana neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Owned by Brookfield Properties, Ala Moana is the eleventh largest shopping mall in the United States an ...

and

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Oahu, Hawaii, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adj ...

before being shipped back to the Army archives in

Washington, D.C ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

.Art Shows and Exhibitions, The Sunday Star Bulletin and Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 June 1968. With the artwork complete, he found he still had three weeks of service left and returned to Vietnam to finish his tour of duty. The art completed by Fairrington during his assignment as a Vietnam soldier-artist is now in the permanent US Army Art collection, maintained by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

(CMH), Washington, D.C. Some of his work was selected for "The Art of Combat: Artists and the Vietnam War, Then and Now" exhibited at the

Indianapolis Art Center The Indianapolis Art Center is an art center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White ...

from October 2000 to January 2001.The Art of Combat: Artists and the Vietnam War, Then and Now exhibit catalogue, October 2000. Fairrington's art was included in the exhibit "Art of the American Soldier", organized by the U.S. Army Center of Military History that was displayed at the

National Constitution Center The National Constitution Center is a non-profit institution devoted to the Constitution of the United States. On Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the center is an interactive museum and a national town hall for constitutional dia ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in 2010 and is now maintained online.Art of the American Soldier
, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA

Military art gallery

File:VietnamCombatArtCAT06DavidNFairringtonTimeout.jpg, TIME OUT by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtCAT06DavidNFarringtonLongBinh.jpg, LONG BINH by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtInTheFieldbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, IN THE FIELD by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtNavysBestbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, NAVY'S BEST by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtWaitingbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, WAITING by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtYoungGirlsbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, YOUNG GIRLS by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtBigGunsbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, BIG GUNS by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtTheLadiesbyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, THE LADIES by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:VietnamCombatArtYeaVietnambyDavidFairringtonCATVI1968.jpg, YEA VIETNAM by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968 File:Vietnam Combat Art Radio Operator by David Fairrington CAT VI 1968.jpg, RADIO OPERATOR by David N. Fairrington, CAT VI, 1968

Post-Military Art career

In 1968, following his military service, Fairrington moved to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, where he attended the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

. In 1969, he secured a position with Jack Wodell Associates, a film advertising agency. In 1972, Fairrington moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

when Wodell Associates opened an office there.Art For Heaven's Sake
, Redlands, California. In 1978, Fairrington and a partner, Tami Masuda, opened a small design called New York West that produced graphics for the film industry. They worked on concept and design for over 150 posters for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

and

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Former Chief of Police for the City of Los Angeles William Bratton by David Fairrington

In 1995, Fairrington closed the design studio so he could concentrate on painting, although he continued to do occasional freelance work. His commissions included former Los Angeles Police Chief

William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American law enforcement officer and businessman who served two terms as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016). He previously served as the Commissioner of th ...

, California Senator

Alan Lowenthal Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...

and Democratic U.S. representative,

Janice Hahn Janice Kay Hahn (born March 30, 1952) is an American politician serving as the member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 4th district since 2016 and Chair of Los Angeles County since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

. In 2004, Fairrington and his family moved from Los Angeles to

Beaumont, California Beaumont is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located at the summit of the San Gorgonio Pass, between the San Bernardino Mountains and Mount San Gorgonio to the north, and the San Jacinto Mountains and San Jacinto Peak to th ...

, where he took over the Banning Center for the Arts in nearby

Banning, California Banning is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 29,505 as of the 2020 census, down from 29,603 at the 2010 census. It is situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, also known as ''Banning Pass''. It is named for Phi ...

, for a year. As director, he promoted community outreach by arranging the exhibit of artwork by young developing artists with older established artists. He also supervised and collaborated with artist Lucy Blake Elahi, under the direction of artist Lori Escalera, to work with Culver Park High School students, who produced a mural called "Rivers of the World."A River Runs Through It: Students, Artists Collaborate on Creek Mural by Tiffany Maleshefski, Culver City Chronicle, December 22, 1999. Fairrington teaches oil techniques and life drawing at the Desert Art Center in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

.Desert Art Center
, Palm Springs, CA. He also conducts two day and week long painting workshops on the principles of portrait painting.Ballet Art by David Fairrington
, Alva's, retrieved 11/9/11. Fairrington has also served as a judge in the 2009 Plein Air Exhibition at the

Riverside Art Museum Riverside Art Museum is an art museum in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California. The museum is a non-profit organization which focuses on addressing social issues and offers art classes as well as other events in order to in ...

.Riverside Art Museum Blog
, retrieved 11/9/2011. In 2007, Fairrington was the featured artist for three months at the Edward-Dean Museum in Cherry Valley, California.Edward Dean Museum to focus on artist David Fairrington, Record Gazette, September 7, 2007. In 2010, his work was exhibited by the Arts Council of the Temecula Valley.North County Times
Escondido, CA. His commissioned portrait of

Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Unite ...

, painted for tennis star

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...

, appeared in ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' magazine.An Invasion of Privacy, Sports Illustrated, September 9, 1999. He also occasionally produces celebrity portraits for the Walt Disney Company's

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

shows. He has painted the stars of ''Lost'', ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' and ''

Legend of the Seeker ''Legend of the Seeker'' is an American television series created by Sam Raimi, based on the fantasy novel series ''The Sword of Truth'' by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in U.S. by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios produced the series ...

''.Idyllwild Life Magazine
June 2009. Fairrington was named "Master Artist" by International Artist Magazine in 2001.Master Painters of the World: United States Showcase, International Artist, October–November 2001. He has also won first place at The National Orange Show's 2010 All-California Juried Art Exhibitionand The National Orange Show's Board of Directors' Purchase Award. Fairrington was chosen by the U.S. government as one of the official portrait artists for employees of

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

and other government agencies. Fairrington's artwork is included in numerous corporate and private collections and is on exhibit at Jack's Fine Art & Frame in

.Jack's Fine Art Academy
retrieved 11/9/11. Fairrington has been commissioned to paint dancers from several ballet companies around the United States, including

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...

and

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

.March Program and Workshop by David Neil Fairrington
, Redlands Art Association, retrieved 11/10/11.

Personal life

While teaching design at the

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA, ) is a visual and performing arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in Los Angeles, California, United States. History The school was ...

, Fairrington met his wife, Lilly. The couple had one son, Nicolai. Fairrington is now divorced and currently resides in Cherry Valley, California. He is now teaching art for the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA

Gallery

File:David Fairrington Painting Barbara 2010.jpg, Fairrington Painting ''Barbara'', 2010. File:Dancer Orange by David Fairrington Acrylic 1996.jpg, ''Dancer Orange'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1996. File:Cindy Carr by DavidFairrington Oil 2009.jpg, ''Cindy Carr'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2009. File:Cameron by David Fairrington Oil 2007.jpg, ''Cameron'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2007. File:Bob Rochelle by DavidFairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''Bob Rochelle'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:KoreyPhillipsAcrylic1996byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Korey Phillips'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1996. File:MichelleSittingAcrylic1996byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Michelle Sitting'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1996. File:MichelleBlackAcrylic1997byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Ballet dancer Michelle Black'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1997. File:JaniceHahn(L)byDavidFairrington.jpg, Democratic U.S. representative for California's 36th congressional district Janice Hahn by David Fairrington, oil, 2003. File:Alan Lowenthal by David Fairrington.jpg, California Senator Alan Lowenthal by David Fairrington, oil, 2003. File:MichaelAcrylic1997byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Michael'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1997. File:MeghanandShannonOil2005byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Meghan and Shannon'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2005. File:AlyssandraOil2007byDavidFairrington.jpg, ''Alyssandra'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2007. File:Mystical Adventure by David Fairrington Acrylic 2009.jpg, ''Mystical Adventure'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 2009. File:House Morro Bay by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''House on Morro Bay'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:Girl with Butterfly Oil 2010 by DavidFairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''Girl with Butterfly'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:DavidShatzbyDavidFairringtonOil2009.jpg, ''David Shatz'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2009. File:DelMarbyDavidFairrington Oil2011.jpg, ''Del Mar'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:DonnabyDavidFairringtonOil2011.jpg, ''Donna'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:DylanbyDavidFairringtonAcrylic1997.jpg, ''Dylan'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1997. File:FemaleForm1byDavidFairringtonCharcoal2010.jpg, ''Female Form 1'' by David Fairrington, charcoal, 2010. File:FriendsbyDavidFairringtonAcrylic2007.jpg, ''Friend''s by David Fairrington, acrylic, 2007. File:GreenApplesbyDavidFairrington Oil2010.jpg, ''Green Apples'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:Joshua Tree Evening by David Fairrington Oil 2001.jpg, ''Joshua Tree Evening'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2001. File:KT by David Fairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''KT'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:Laynie and Chocolate by David Fairrington Oil on Wood 2009.jpg, ''Laynie and Chocolate'' by David Fairrington, oil on wood, 2009. File:Leon Armantrout by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''Leon Armantrout'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:Lindsey by David Fairrington Oil on Stone 2009.jpg, ''Lindsey'' by David Fairrington, oil on stone, 2009. File:Lou and Terry by David Fairrington Oil on wood 2011.jpg, ''Lou and Terry'' by David Fairrington, oil on wood, 2011. File:Marilyn by David Fairrington Oil 2009.jpg, ''Marilyn'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2009. File:Mark by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''Mark'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:Mile High Road by David Fairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''Mile High Road'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:Morro Bay 2 by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''Morro Bay 2'' by David Fairrington, 2011. File:Morro Bay 1 by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''Morro Bay 1'' by David Fairrington, 2011. File:My Son The Swimmer by David Fairrington Charcoal 2011.jpg, ''My son the swimmer'' by David Fairrington, charcoal, 2011. File:Peeled Orange by David Fairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''Peeled Orange'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010. File:PG Lady by David Fairrington Acrylic 1997.jpg, ''PG Lady'' by David Fairrington, acrylic, 1997. File:Roz's Sailboat by David Fairrington Oil 2011.jpg, ''Roz's Sailboat'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2011. File:Ryan and Barkley by David Fairrington Oil 2007.jpg, ''Ryan and Barkley'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2007. File:Summer Head by David Fairrington Watercolor 2011.jpg, ''Summer Head'' by David Fairrington, watercolor, 2011. File:Tami and Fred by David Fairrington Oil 2008.jpg, ''Tami and Fred'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2008. File:Tass Bareback by David Fairrington Oil on Wood 2009.jpg, ''Tass Bareback'' by David Fairrington, oil on wood, 2009. File:The General by David Fairrington Oil 2009.jpg, ''The General'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2009. File:Yucaipa Mountains by David Fairrington Oil 2010.jpg, ''Yucaipa Mountains'' by David Fairrington, oil, 2010.

External links

David Fairrington's website
* (video)

(blog post) * (video) * (video)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairrington, David 1940 births Fairrington Vietnam Combat Artists Program United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Painters from California Fairrington American portrait painters Painters from Washington (state) Texas Tech University alumni United States Army soldiers