This summer I was invited by Etherton gallery in Tucson to participate in the exhibition: The Artists of Lewis Framing. The exhibition ran from June 7 – August 27th, and showcased the work of seven Tucson artists who work, or have worked, at Lewis Framing Studio, one of Tucson’s preeminent framing establishments.
Back before leaving for graduate school, I worked off-and-on at the studio in Tucson, which is a kind of hub in the local art community. It provided, and still provides, great framing of art and art objects, but it’s also a place where a lot of institutions, museums, galleries, collectors and artists cross paths and connect with each other.
Owner Bea Mason has built a great business and a great resource for the local arts community. She has also created a positive working environment for the artists she employs. She’s very supportive of them and their artistic pursuits, (even after they’ve moved on from the shop for many years, as I have). I am pleased to have been included in this show, and happy that Terry Etherton mounted an exhibition that not only showcases a lot of local Tucson talent, but gives some much deserved credit to Bea Mason for her support of local artists, and the position she holds in the local art community.
The show was a chance to exhibit with artists I’ve known for many years, but have never had the opportunity to show with, and also nice to have another body of work up in Tucson during my Lebowski Cycle exhibition at University of Arizona Museum of Art. Below are the paintings I had in the Etherton show.
Tucson Palo Verde 2016 
Spurgeon Tower 7:00 AM – Grid Work 2013 
Red Hills, Anza-Borrego 2013 
Afternoon Sun I, Carbon Canyon 2015
Ballinglen – Grid Work 2014 
Lifting Fog, Newport Back Bay 2013 
Big Sur, Fogged In 2013 
Little Corona II – Grid Work 2013
Blue Cove, Big Sur 2015 
Summer Light, Santiago Canyon 2015 
Reef Point – Grid Work 2013 
Silver Dusk, Anza-Borrego 2015
Ballinglen • Joe Forkan 2014 Oil on Linen 22 x 28
Here is another painting from the Grid Work series. This one is based on an observational painting I did while in residence at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland in 2010.
Spurgeon Tower Rooftops • Joe Forkan 2013 Oil on Linen 48? x 28?
This painting from 2013 is included in the Laguna Art Museum’s upcoming Art Auction 2015, set for Feb. 7th. The week-long Art Auction 2015 preview exhibition is now on view to the public.
Another addition to the Grid Work series, I used a completed observational painting as a starting point. This one is studio view in Santa Ana.
More information about the piece and the series is here.
Reef Point • Joe Forkan 2013 Oil on Linen 40″ x 40″
Reef Point (process) • Joe Forkan 2013 Oil on Linen 40″ x 40″
Little Corona II • Joe Forkan 2013 Oil on Linen 40″ x 40″
This is the second painting I completed based on an observational painting of Little Corona in Southern California. The second painting was an attempt to revisit my initial idea for this series, while changing some of the rules I had established for myself. I started this using the same initial grid and basic color shapes of the first, but intentionally varied the second layer, and broke the grid as the painting progressed. I was curious to see where those early changes would lead the rest of the painting. Each renegotiation of color took the structure of the painting further from the first one, even as I moved to reach a similar overall color dynamic.
Little Corona I • Joe Forkan 2012 Oil on Linen 40″ x 40″
