Don Christensen was a professional musician for 15 years when he returned to painting in 1990. Since that time he has received a New York Foundation for the Arts painting fellowship award, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship grant for painting, and has had solo exhibitions at New York area galleries.

“In 1999 I had the opportunity to compose a score for an animated film entitled “Africa.” While doing research for the project I came across the idea of “rythmnatized textiles” in a book about African textiles by Robert Farris Thompson. These fabrics, geometrically decorated with symmetry, but an off-kilter symmetry, were created by weavers singing as they worked. It had witnessed this in Arizona where I saw Native American weavers doing the same thing. It became clear to me that the geometry and symmetry they created was being dictated by the song they were singing, the rhythm guided their hands in the design. I have been trying to work with rhythm in my paintings.The women in my family have for a number of generations been great quilters. The tradition of American quilt making has been influenced by the African narrow loom fabric tradition. The use of all materials (every little scrap of left over fabric) to make something useful and beautiful is a worthwhile ecological endeavor.” - DC 2002