1982 "1940 - Boys on the Colorado" Acrylic Painting by Tom Perkinson, Framed

Description

Artist: TOM PERKINSON (1940-)
Title: 1940 - BOYS ON THE COLORADO
Medium & Surface: ORIGINAL ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS (framed) … more Artist: TOM PERKINSON (1940-)
Title: 1940 - BOYS ON THE COLORADO
Medium & Surface: ORIGINAL ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS (framed)
Signed: HAND SIGNED AND DATED BY ARTIST LOWER RIGHT
Year Created: 1982
Country of Creation: UNITED STATES

Image Area Dimensions: 18 x 36 INCHES
Frame Dimensions:* 30 x 48.25 x 2.75 INCHES
*This work of art is being sold framed.

Additional Info: HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE WORK BY TOM PERKINSON IN GREAT CONDITION IN ITS ORIGINAL CARVED CUSTOM GILT FRAME. FRAME IS IN GREAT CONDITION WITH MINOR SIGNS OF WEAR CONSISTENT WITH AGE AND STYLE.
Provenance: GENE MAKO GALLERIES, LOS ANGELES
Artist Info/Bio: ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT IS INCLUDED
Documentation: CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY BY CALIFORNIA FINE ART BROKERS IS INCLUDED

"1940 - Boys on the Colorado," an original acrylic painting on canvas by Tom Perkinson, is a piece for the true collector. His use of saturated violets, vivid yellows, and resplendent oranges pushes color to almost-otherworldly realms. The viewer is invited to step into the painting to explore the scene within and imagine gazing at an easel of a plein-air painter with the remarkable river scene, the yellow sky, red-hued terrain, and contrasting trees in full view. Here, Perkinson chose to depict a calm, but populated moment in time on the Colorado River, with boys fishing, enjoying the beauty of the landscape, and spending some quality time with a cherished pet. The city is in the distance, with bridges and large buildings fading out of site, except from the vantage of the viewer. You most certainly want to walk down and join them at the water for the afternoon. Perkinson describes his style of painting as "Romantic Realism," a technique that incorporates two iconic art movements. This style, in combination with the imagination of the artist, produces remarkable results, showcasing Perkinson's keen ability to capture emotion, nature, and life - all in a brushstroke. Both his technical talent and choice of subject matter pair perfectly with its original, carved, custom, gilt frame. This masterful work would make a great addition to an art collection and enhance most any home, perfect for those who have an affinity for landscapes, impressionism, romanticism, realism, plein-air painting, and nature.

In the artist’s own words:

“My color combinations aren’t in the realm of the natural world, because I don’t paint reality; I’m a painter of fiction. I try to paint a sense of place, as though this scene really does exist. I have had my collectors ask me where this scene is, and I just have to point to my head and say I made it up. Thus, I think of my work as romantic realism. I’m painting a certain reality that I’ve invented, inspired by the fascinatingly rich Southwestern landscape.”

“Color gets all the credit, but it’s the values that do all the work. I don’t begin with sketches, because I want to be free to follow the painting in any direction. I start with washes of different values and tints. Then, I begin to look for a landscape. Several directions will appear to me at this time, and then I have to decide on one of them. During these first few moments, I must establish my distance from the scene. Am I a mile away or just across the river? This is one of the first steps, and I have to decide before I can continue. It’s important for working out the perspective and how things are going to relate to one another in the picture. Then, as the landscape evolves, I look for more images to add to the composition.”

Tom Perkinson, born in Indiana in 1940, has become distinguished as a regional painter, known for his work grounded in the visually dramatic landscape of the Southwest.

As a child, Perkinson discovered he had a love for the natural landscape, and a talent for art. He fostered that talent through classes at the John Herron Institute of Art in Indianapolis, and then at the Chicago Art Academy upon graduating from high school.

He received a degree in art from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1964, before moving on to graduate school at the University of New Mexico. Here, among noted works of a larger scale, he continued to paint the landscape, and it was this work that began to reflect a new fascination with the Southwest. He had found what would become an infinite source of inspiration.

Influenced by early painters of the southern Indiana landscape – painters like T. C. Steele, Vawter, Schultze, and Forsythe – Perkinson’s early work focused on landscape, still life, and city scenes. As his love of the New Mexico landscape grew, his work matured, finding influence in J.M.W. Turner, George Inness, and James Mcneill Whistler. Soon, a distinctive, sprung-from-the-imagination style he came to describe as ‘romantic realism’ began evolving.

“None of these places really exist,” he says, “I just make them up as I paint them.” It was this preference for spontaneity that led to watercolor as his preferred medium.

After more than four decades now as an artist painting New Mexico, Perkinson has built a prolific career. His work is included in private and public collections across the globe, and he is represented in the collections of many museums, including the Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe; the University Art Museum, Albuquerque; and the Eiteljorg Museum of Western Art in Indianapolis. His work is also included in the May 2006 book titled “Landscapes of New Mexico, Paintings From the Land of Enchantment.”

He currently resides in Corrales, New Mexico, where he has lived for 20 years with his wife, renowned jewelry artist Louise Perkinson. less