Tom Fawkes
Portland artist Tom Fawkes paints lush scenes inspired by the landscapes of the Mediterranean, including Portugal, Italy and Greece. He combines architectural elements with the imagery of gardens to depict light, space, and atmosphere. Layering rich passages of acrylic paint, Fawkes paints on canvas or wood panel. With this exhibition, he explores views of Portuguese gardens, and Greek and Roman ruins. The artist’s virtuosic skill with illusion invites the viewer on seductive excursions to sensuously mannered gardenscapes or more archaic settings of the ancient world.
An MFA graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art, Tom Fawkes taught at the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the 1960s. From 1972 – 2004, Fawkes taught drawing and painting at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He received several awards including an OAC fellowship, an NEA fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation grant. His works are in numerous collections including Safeco, Microsoft, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Portland Art Museum.