Donald Lee Herron

Donald Lee Herron passed away December 25, 2012, in Newburgh NY. He was born on September 8, 1941 to Lawrence and Johanna Herron in Brenham, TX. He is preceded in death by his parents, and many aunts and uncles and cousins. He is survived by his sister, Joan Nilsen and niece, Amy Nilsen Scaff, and husband Peter Scaff, and by one great nephew, David Colton Scaff, all of Houston, TX. He is also survived by a cousin, John Muegge, of Brenham.
Don was baptized and confirmed at the Grace Lutheran Church. A 1959 graduate of Brenham High School, he earned a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin. Don served four years in the U.S. Air Force.

Don studied at the University of Texas in Austin. After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting in 1972, he moved to San Francisco where he became interested in the medieval custom of depicting saints in niches. Considering the bathtub a 20th century version of the niche (the daily ritual of self-cleansing), he started photographing people in their bathtubs. After concentrating primarily on fellow visual artists – painters, printmakers, and photographers – he eventually shifted his attention to photographing performing artists. Largely self-taught as a photographer, his photographs have been shown in various galleries and museums in the United States and Europe. Herron moved to New York City in 1978. His paintings and photographs were part of New York City’s East Village Art Movement of the late 1970’s & 1980’s and have been published in various magazines, including The Village Voice, Flashart, Arts Magazine (Germany & USA editions), Art Forum, New York Magazine & the Drama Review. His photographs were the subject of a featured article in the March 1995 French photography edition of Art Therapy Magazine (Art Ed Therapie).

In addition to his photography, artwork, and appearances on the silver screen, Don has written weekly columns from his unique perspective on the City of Newburgh and on life in general for local newspapers, and has produced a CD of his short stories. Don was a very active member of his local community. In particular, he was a great supporter of the Newburgh Historical Society where he donated time, financial support and his artwork which has graced their publications for the past decade.

Don will be so missed by his family and by all of his many, many, Austin, Houston, and Newburgh friends and his two cherished cats.

Memorial services are pending and will be held in Newburgh, New York.