Dombek Hosts Open Studio
- When: Saturday, October 9, 2010, time TBA
- Where: 844 Blue Springs Road in Goshen, AR
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: Not available
- Categories: Art opening, Community
Dombek Hosts Open Studio
(Fayetteville, AR…..)The acclaimed watercolor artist and winner of numerous awards, including Arkansas Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award, has painted a wide array of subjects besides trees: rocks, farm implements, bamboo, flowers, tobacco barns and grasses have all come to life through Dombek’s expert use of color and his distinctive precise technique. Dombek’s paintings, which can be described as abstract realism, hang in over 80 museums, as well as, over a thousand private collections. George Dombek’s inspiration came from his travels across the country and overseas as a teacher of art and architecture. Though he divides his time between his New York City and Goshen studios, at this point in life, his inspiration comes from within more than his environs. This past year Dombek lost his beloved mother and two of his closest friends, impacting his creative output. But George found the motivation to return to his beloved art, a project that rekindled his creative fire – a bronze sculpture based on Tour de Tree (his widely popular painting of a twig bicycle in a tree) which will be installed October 4 on the grounds of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Working on the sculpture roused Dombek to revisit his Tour de Tree watercolor series - this time in a larger format – one that may possibly be the largest watercolor on paper. It’s certainly the largest George has ever painted. It measures 120 x 80 and is titled Tour de Apple Tree reflecting the Crystal Bridges’ sculpture by the same name. The well-defined branches, with their spattering of rich-toned blue leaves, mask the trademark illusive bicycle perched on the branches, offering the viewer a delight when sighted.
The next evolution in the tree series came when, rather than a bicycle, Dombek began putting other twig figures in the trees. Fish, horses, and birds fashioned out of small branches became the models for this new series. Pleased with the birds and animals, Dombek then ventured in another direction. Taking inspiration from the Masters, such as Renoir, Manet, and Cezanne, he began painting twig nudes in the trees where the graceful bodies, outlined by the tree limbs, give this watercolor group that same subtle whimsy observed in the Tour de Tree paintings.
September 25, 26, October 2, 3, 9 & 10, George Dombek is having an open studio from 2pm – 6pm. Located on the beautiful grounds of his self-designed home the studio is located at 844 Blue Springs Road in Goshen. For more information, visit www.georgedombek.com.
