John Dawson
 John
Dawson was born in Joliet, Illinois in
1946; he received his BFA in 1969 from
the University of New Mexico and his MFA
from Arizona State University in 1974.
At age 20 he spent a summer at the
University of Hawaii. His parents were
in the insurance business and encouraged
him to seek work as an art teacher.
Thinking he would teach on the college
level, he obtained the necessary degrees
only to quickly abandon any thought of
teaching since he decided the only thing
he wanted to do was paint.
Paintings, drawings, works on paper and
sculpture have been the occupation of
Dawson for well over 30 years. His work
can be found in museum and private
collections across the country and he
has had more than 60 one-man shows both
in private galleries and public museums.
He has also done a number of works in
association with the Arizona Opera and
Ballet Arizona. Publications reviewing
his work include Art News, Art Week,
Southwest Art and Art Voices South. His
work has been selected for such
publications as World Artists 1980-90.
The book Dawson: Thirty Years was
published in 2004 and contains an
excellent overview of the artist’s
career.
In writing the book’s forward, Arizona
State University Director Emeritus, Rudy
Turk writes:
 “In
studying the nature of man, Dawson has
turned to the artists of the romantic
tradition, most notably Titian,
Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Gainsborough,
Gericault, Delacroix, Manet, Gauguin,
Picasso, Baskin and LeBrun. Moreover, he
updates many of their self portraits for
a contemporary extension of their art
and emotion. Likewise, he looks to the
uncanny wisdom and artistic found in the
art of children, the insane and the
so-called “primitives”. His mentors,
thus, are multiple. His images, derived
in part from these sources, are
conflicted, provocative, irreverent and,
always, tragic-comedic.”
West Valley Art Museum owns five Dawson
works – one sculpture, two drawings and
two paintings. |
 Ethnographic Artifacts
John Dawson
Dorothy Knop
Thomas Moran
George Resler
Henry Varnum Poor
Fine Art Prints
Elaine Rothwell
Fritz Scholder
Arthur Secunda
Japanese Woodcuts |
