John Simpkins

ARTIST STATEMENT

John Simpkins was born in Napa, California on August 17, 1951.  He attended local schools, graduating from Napa Valley College in 1971; after a year at University of California, Davis, he tutored with artist/illustrator Earl Thollander from 1972-1975, traveling to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.  Simpkins lived and painted in Camp Sherman, near the Metolius River in Central Oregon from 1987 to 2000. From 2003 thru 2007 he traveled to China, Tibet, Nepal, Mexico, Thailand and Bali. The influence of cultures and religions Simpkins experienced during his travels is often apparent in his art today. In 2011 he accepted an offer by art patron George R. Stroemple to live and paint in an old schoolhouse in the ghost town of Andrews, Oregon.  He spent 10 years there creating large paintings. In 2018 he was invited to exhibit a selection of those paintings at The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Currently he is a resident artist at the Churchill School of Art and Music in Baker City, Oregon.

"John Simpkins' paintings evoke contemporary allegory with a stylistic approach rooted in American primitivism and folkloric traditions. He often employs subject matter that is both dreamlike and prophetic." - Eric Nord, Leon Gallery, Denver, Colorado

For more work, visit me at:

http://www.johnsimpkins.com

https://www.pbs.org/video/oregon-art-beat-painter-john-simpkins/

https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/9688851/john-simpkins-the-elephant-in-the-room?fbclid=IwAR2qBvVdmWar4LjHifOTyWapV_GaS0i0aB69SoITZA7UyMoHaSoOWyy9fj4