Don Ajello was born in New York City at the close of W.W. II. His ancestry was of both Sicilian Catholic and Russian Jewish decent. His father was an inventor of scale model toys and trains as well as a hobby store owner in Manhattan. As a child, Mr. Ajello was fascinated by the images and objects he grew up with. This early influence of model making and the use of his hands to build sparked the desire to create. Drawing and sculpture seemed like the obvious progression, and he completed his education at California Institute of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Fresno ending with a Master's Degree in Sculpture. His current studio is in Santa Rosa, California. Mr. Ajello’s work embodies whimsy, fantasy, and surreal symbols. He feels equally satisfied by working in a range of materials: bronze, wood or ceramics. He chooses to create functional and non-functional sculpture with some works embracing a certain seriousness, and others containing humor. As a Vietnam Veteran, Mr. Ajello was strongly affected by war and its disturbing effect on humanity and the consequences to the planet. After the war he embarked on a series of sculptures relating to this topic. He is represented by a number of galleries both in California, Oregon and Washington.