March 1 - March 26
Reception: Friday, March 18, 6-8PM
Andrew Wyeth said, “Most artists look for something fresh to paint; frankly I find that quite boring. For me it is much more exciting to find fresh meaning in something familiar.” I find this singular philosophy to be most inspirational as I go about my daily non-artist life as a veterinarian. Wyeth challenges us to continue to observe the aesthetic appeal of everyday objects, views and people around us with this quote. However, succeeding in translating these things into two-dimensional representations that a viewer can connect with is the real challenge and something I strive to do with my work. Thus, with this collection of paintings, I’ve attempted to paint those things that I encounter regularly; a city street, a pasture or farm implement encountered on a bike ride, the animals that surround and sustain us. Each is worthy of closer observation, but rarely gets it as we busily go about our lives. I’d like to think this body of work would allow a viewer to stop and take a second look and maybe appreciate something beautiful in what would otherwise be a mundane subject regularly seen but rarely observed.
Dr. Derek Fox is a veterinarian and Professor of Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Missouri's Veterinary Health Center. He has possessed a lifelong interest and passion for art inspired by his father, formerly a commercial artist. He is self-taught and works mostly in gouache, watercolor and oils, painting subjects in a representational fashion. His artistic inspirations include Andrew Wyeth, Joachin Sorolla, Dean Mitchell, Tad Retz and Aaron Cordell Johnson.
