Donald Curley was a man of many accomplishments. In addition to being an artist he was a teacher, lecturer, writer and world traveler. He has been described as an "academic artist" because of his interest in painting all subjects, landscape, seascape, marine, history and figurative. His art often tells stories of how man's relationship was to rivers and oceans, forests and mountains. He called his style "objective realism". Donald went to great lengths to represent the infinite varieties of the textures he saw in earth, sky and water. Like many painters his images are combinations of imagination and experience. Many of his paintings are also moments of people and history that take the viewer back in time. He also enjoyed doing portraits. He tested every painting he finished by asking himself if the subject was believable and if he could pass into the painting without effort.
Donald distinguished himself over the years with numerous donations of his art toward conservation fund-raising efforts.

*In 1996 Donald Curley was included in "Who's, Who in International Art". A stamp was printed in Switzerland that year as a tribute to him in honor of this achievement. The stamp features the painting "Sunday Morning."

*Donald's paintings are collected in Canada, United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Australia, India, Italy, France, Spain and England. They are in museums, corporations and private collections.

*His art has been shown in the last few years at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wisconsin, - Algonquin Museum, Ontario, - Carnegie Museum, Pennsylvania, - Witte Museum, Texas, - Neville Public Museum, Wisconsin, - Virginia Museum of Natural History, Virginia, - Sangre De Chisto Arts Center, Colorado, - Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida, - The Delaware Museum of Natural History, Delaware, - The Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, New York, - and The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia.

*Donald designed ten coins for The Royal Canadian Mint, which included a gold portrait coin of Alexander Graham Bell.

*His works can be found in books, magazines, prints and posters. North American publishers including Mill Pond Press have produced numerous prints of his art.

*He has been included in Who's Who in American Art", Who's Who in International Art", "Magazin'Art Biennial Guide of Canadian Art", "Outstanding People of The 20th Century", Cambridge and Fellowship I.B.A., Cambridge, England.

*In the year 2002 the International Artist Magazine, Issue 24, April/May, listed Donald as one of the Master Painters of the World. In the next International Artist Magazine, Issue 25, June/July he was selected as the Grand Prize Award Winner and Finalist – the first artist to be doubly honored in one competition. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.