george dombek watercolor
TRANSCRIPT
G E O R G E D O M B E K W A T E R C O L O R
Exh ib i t i on on v i ew Feb rua r y 2019
G E O R G E D O M B E K W A T E R C O L O R
“Watercolor chose me in 1960. I’ve been stuck there ever since. I don’t want to control it.
Watercolor is such a spontaneous reaction between pigment and water. That’s what makes it special.”
— GEORGE DOMBEK
Cane Hill Barn with Peach Tree | watercolor on paper | 70” x 70” framed | $ 68,400.
The Last Kingdom | watercolor on paper | 42” x 42” framed | $ 17,100.
Madison County Barn with Landscape | watercolor on paper | 40” x 70” framed | $ 34,200.
“While working on this Dombek installation, a serious number of visitors to the Gallery have commented on how stunning these photographs of barns are. The gasps and responses have been
fantastic when we tell folks these amazing works are not photographs – they are watercolor paintings.
Everything about Dombek is extraordinary; his unique ‘portraits’ of tin cans and pails – with titles that change your perception of the
painting on-the-spot, his barns – both exterior and interior, and his drive. Dombek states that watercolor grabbed him in
1960 and hasn’t let go. That I was born in 1960 – makes this exhibition all the more astonishing for me.”
— ANDRIA FRIESEN
George Dombek | W A T E R C O L O R Friesen Gallery Installation Sun Valley, ID February 2019
Pure Lard | watercolor on paper | 50” x 50” framed | $ 30,400.
Washington County Red Barn | watercolor on paper | 49.5” x 49.5” framed | $ 30,400. *featured on page 48: Monograph | George Dombek Barns & Portrait Paintings (2016) 200 pages
Williamson County Tobacco Barn IV | watercolor on paper | 50” x 50” framed | $ 30,400.
Johnson County Barn with Barn and Tree | watercolor on paper | 42” x 42” framed | $ 17,100.
Only Child | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
Madison County Barn with Barrels | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
“Dombek’s shadows, in many cases, reveal more about structure than the structures themselves. The pattern and filigree of the
shadow on the irregular surface of the wall captures the light and freezes it in a particular moment in time…
Dombek’s “standpoint” fixes in our memories the landscape of rural America.”
— LAURA M. TERRY, Associate Professor of Architecture,
University of Arkansas
Family Reunion | watercolor on paper | 50” x 70” framed | $ 45,600.
Heading South | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
S V P N M a g a z i n e | Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 9
When you look at a barn painted by George Dombek, you inevitably do a double-take because his perfection and command of watercolor creates the illusion of a real photograph. However, on closer examination, the beauty and cra� of a gi�ed artist quickly becomes a fascination and draws your attention to the detail and expression of a masterful watercolor painting. Dombek is an American painter, who lives and works in northwest Arkansas, his birthplace and home for more than 70 years. His work shows a deep preoccupa-tion with time, nature, and machinery. His barns, mills, and agricultural portraits de-pict the tools that helped create America’s greatness. Now abandoned and fading from living memory, the evidence of their existence is preserved in Dombek’s paintings. “Watercolor was the �rst thing I did in art class in high school, 58 years ago,” reveals Dombek. “Other students went on to do other things a�er their �rst watercolor art project. I stuck right there, and I have been stuck there ever since.” It’s a rarity to see contemporary watercolor painting at the level of Dombek’s ability. He explains that the interaction of water and pigment hit him in a way so that he’s been able to do anything he wants in watercolor. “Many people realize that the interaction of paper, paint, and watercolor is magical, and I made a career out of it, which is fairly rare,” says Dombek. “It’s common for people to describe my work as a photograph, which is a compliment.” Dombek became fascinated with barns in the 1970s, and it was during this decade that he also made his �rst visit to Idaho. For his most recent series, Dombek spent nearly three years traveling in search of barns. As remarkable a �gure as it sounds, Dombek has documented that his exploration covered a span of 50,000 square miles. Although the barns, tools, implements, pails, and various other rural objects he found were perhaps unremarkable themselves, Dombek manages to give them an anthropomorphic quality-making his art even more irresistible.
“Composition and color are at the essence of my images. While the
realness draws one in to observe the detail, the color �lling the
recognizable subjects holds the viewer in a moment of a new
found beauty.” - George Dombek
Dombek describes himself as a painter, but he also studied architecture, and this body of knowledge shines through in his watercolor technique. “Constructed realism” is Dombek’s de�nition of how he explores a variety of subjects in a way that seems to bridge the usual distinctions between real and abstract. Dombek’s work is exhibited in over 800 private, institutional, and museum collections and more than 100 exhibitions including the Carnegie Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Art, Arkansas Arts Center, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Birmingham Museum of Art, Butler Institute of American Art, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. “Alice Walton came to my studio, and her endowment for Crystal Bridges, the largest outside of the Getty, has been an incredible asset to Arkansas,” says Dombek. “She bought two of my paintings upon her �rst visit, and to date, I have the most paintings of any living artist in Crystal Bridges. Alice and her nephews have been very supportive.” In Ketchum, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts led a trip for visual arts patrons to Crystal Bridges. It was an extraordinary and memorable experience for the participants. With Dombek well represented at Crystal Bridges, it makes this Friesen Gallery representation debut all the more exciting. Among Dombek’s more than 80 awards are recognitions from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship, the Pollock -Krasner Foundation, the Southern Arts Foundation, the Florida Arts Fellowship, and the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation.
“Seemingly mundane and nostalgic, my work attempts to elevate the common object and formalize nostalgia to make images relevant for today,” he explains. “�rough critical development and medium mastery, my process allows me to create a structured end-product while the actual application of paint is very spontaneous and reactive. Composition and color are at the essence of my images. While the realness draws one in to observe the detail, the color �lling the recognizable subjects holds the viewer in a moment of a new found beauty.”
George Dombek | W A T E R C O L O RFriesen Gallery Installation Sun Valley, ID February 2019
Marion County Barn with Barn | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
Because I Said So | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
Phillips County Barn | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600. *featured on page 33: Monograph | George Dombek Barns & Portrait Paintings (2016) 200 pages
Apple Crates | watercolor on paper | 42” x 42” framed | $ 7,600.
Montgomery County Barn | watercolor on paper | 42” x 34” framed | $ 12,500.
George Dombek | W A T E R C O L O R Friesen Gallery Installation Sun Valley, ID February 2019
Hole in One | watercolor on paper | 32” x 32” framed | $ 7,600.
Gamble Barn with Sheds | watercolor on paper | 50” x 70” framed | $ 45,600.
b. 1944 Paris, Arkansas
EDUCATION1977 MFA Painting, University of Arkansas1974 B. ARCH, Design, University of Arkansas
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2019 WATERCOLOR, Friesen Gallery, Sun Valley, Idaho2018 David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee2017 David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee2014 Argenta Gallery, North Little Rock, Arkansas2009 Greg Thompson Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas2008 Blessings, Johnson, Arkansas2006 Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, New York City, New York2005 Argenta Art Gallery, Little Rock, Arkansas2004 Bresler Eitel Art Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas (sculpture installation)2003 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio Argenta Art Gallery, Little Rock, Arkansas2000 Tyson Foods Corporate Headquarters, Springdale, Arkansas1999 Taylors’ Contemporanea Fine Arts, Hot Springs, Arkansas1997 Arts and Science Center, Pine Bluff, Arkansas1996 Bell Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee Indigo Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida Palmer Gallery, Hot Springs, Arkansas
G E O R G E D O M B E K
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS continued 1995 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
M. A. Duran Gallery, Tulsa, OklahomaUniversity of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas
1994 Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas1993 Nan Miller Gallery, Rochester, New York1992 Leslie Levy Fine Arts, Scottsdale, Arizona1991 Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania1990 Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida
621 Gallery, Tallahassee, Florida1988 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida1987 O. K. South Works of Art, Miami, Florida1986 Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Lemoyne Center for Visual Arts, Tallahassee, Florida1985 Florida Center for Contemporary Art, Tampa, Florida
Gallery Contemporenea, Jacksonville, FloridaFlorida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida
1984 The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GeorgiaThe University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
1983 Four Arts Center, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Tallahassee, Florida1982 Arab Heritage Gallery, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia1981 Capricorn Galleries, Bethesda, Maryland 1979 Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio
William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CaliforniaTexas Technical University, Lubbock, TexasMassillon Museum, Massillon, Ohio
b. 1944 Paris, Arkansas
EDUCATION1977 MFA Painting, University of Arkansas1974 B. ARCH, Design, University of Arkansas
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2019 WATERCOLOR, Friesen Gallery, Sun Valley, Idaho2018 David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee2017 David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee2014 Argenta Gallery, North Little Rock, Arkansas2009 Greg Thompson Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas2008 Blessings, Johnson, Arkansas2006 Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, New York City, New York2005 Argenta Art Gallery, Little Rock, Arkansas2004 Bresler Eitel Art Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas (sculpture installation)2003 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio Argenta Art Gallery, Little Rock, Arkansas2000 Tyson Foods Corporate Headquarters, Springdale, Arkansas1999 Taylors’ Contemporanea Fine Arts, Hot Springs, Arkansas1997 Arts and Science Center, Pine Bluff, Arkansas1996 Bell Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee Indigo Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida Palmer Gallery, Hot Springs, Arkansas
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS continued 1979 San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California1978 American Institute of Architects, San Francisco, California
Greater Birmingham Arts Alliance, Birmingham, AlabamaChautauqua Art Galleries, Chautauqua, New York
1977 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, California
AWARDS & HONORS 2006 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant2005 Arkansas Arts Council Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award2003 Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS Acxiom Corporation, Conway, ArkansasAerojet General, La Jolla, CaliforniaAlltel Corporation, Little Rock, ArkansasAnstaff Bank, Berryville, ArkansasAnstaff Bank, Huntsville, ArkansasArab Heritage Gallery, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaArkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, ArkansasArkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, ArkansasArkansas Children’s Hospital, Springdale, ArkansasArkansas Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, ArkansasThe Artery Association, Bethesda, MarylandArts and Science Center, Pine Bluff, ArkansasBank of Commerce, Tulsa, Oklahoma
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS continued Barnett Bank, Jacksonville and Tampa, FloridaBeaumont Art League, Beaumont, TexasBirmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AlabamaThe Blessings Golf Club, Fayetteville, ArkansasW. C. Bradley Company, Columbus, GeorgiaButler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OhioCarnegie Institute Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaChase Manhattan Bank, New York, New YorkCity Hall, Tallahassee, FloridaCrocker Bank, Los Angeles, CaliforniaCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, ArkansasDebevoise and Plimpton, Washington, D. C.Equity Life Assurance, New York, New YorkFay Jones School of Architecture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ArkansasFlorida National Bank, Jacksonville, FloridaFort Smith Art Center, Fort Smith, ArkansasGolden Artist Colors, New Berlin, New YorkHallmark Card Corporation, Kansas City, MissouriHenderson State University, Arkadelphia, ArkansasHistoric Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, ArkansasHyatt Regency, Chicago, IllinoisIBM Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina Kaplan, McLaughlin, Diaz, San Francisco, CaliforniaKimberly-Clark Corporation, Little Rock, ArkansasLouisiana College, Alexandria, Louisiana McDonalds Corporation, Chicago, Illinois
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS continued 1979 San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California1978 American Institute of Architects, San Francisco, California
Greater Birmingham Arts Alliance, Birmingham, AlabamaChautauqua Art Galleries, Chautauqua, New York
1977 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, California
AWARDS & HONORS 2006 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant2005 Arkansas Arts Council Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award2003 Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS Acxiom Corporation, Conway, ArkansasAerojet General, La Jolla, CaliforniaAlltel Corporation, Little Rock, ArkansasAnstaff Bank, Berryville, ArkansasAnstaff Bank, Huntsville, ArkansasArab Heritage Gallery, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaArkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, ArkansasArkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, ArkansasArkansas Children’s Hospital, Springdale, ArkansasArkansas Democrat Gazette, Little Rock, ArkansasThe Artery Association, Bethesda, MarylandArts and Science Center, Pine Bluff, ArkansasBank of Commerce, Tulsa, Oklahoma
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS continued Meadows Museum of Art, Shreveport, LouisianaMercy Hospital & Medical Center, Chicago, IllinoisMetro-Dade Center, Miami, FloridaM. Graham & Company, West Linn, OregonMobile Oil, Houston, TexasMorgan Stanley, Dean Whitter, Little Rock, ArkansasMurphy Oil Corporation, El Dorado, ArkansasNantucket Industries, New York, New YorkNexJet Corporation, Long Beach, CaliforniaNorthwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, ArkansasNorthwest Mutual Life, Milwaukee, WisconsinNuVell GMAC, Little Rock, ArkansasParthenon Galleries, Nashville, TennesseeThe Little Rock Country Club, Little Rock, ArkansasThe Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, ArkansasRoyal Commission, Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSchool of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MissouriSouthern Bell Corporation, Miami, FloridaSpringfield Art Museum, Springfield, MissouriStephens, Inc., Fayetteville, ArkansasStephens, Inc., Little Rock, ArkansasSun Bank, Jacksonville, Florida3M, St. Paul, MinnesotaTyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS continued University of Central Arkansas, Conway, ArkansasW. C. Bradley Company, Columbus, GeorgiaWestern Electric, New York, New YorkWilliam F. Laman Public Library, North Little Rock, Arkansas
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS continued Meadows Museum of Art, Shreveport, LouisianaMercy Hospital & Medical Center, Chicago, IllinoisMetro-Dade Center, Miami, FloridaM. Graham & Company, West Linn, OregonMobile Oil, Houston, TexasMorgan Stanley, Dean Whitter, Little Rock, ArkansasMurphy Oil Corporation, El Dorado, ArkansasNantucket Industries, New York, New YorkNexJet Corporation, Long Beach, CaliforniaNorthwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, ArkansasNorthwest Mutual Life, Milwaukee, WisconsinNuVell GMAC, Little Rock, ArkansasParthenon Galleries, Nashville, TennesseeThe Little Rock Country Club, Little Rock, ArkansasThe Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, ArkansasRoyal Commission, Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSchool of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MissouriSouthern Bell Corporation, Miami, FloridaSpringfield Art Museum, Springfield, MissouriStephens, Inc., Fayetteville, ArkansasStephens, Inc., Little Rock, ArkansasSun Bank, Jacksonville, Florida3M, St. Paul, MinnesotaTyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
