04/26/2024
This week, Salem's Public Art Commission dives into the practice of Oregon artist, Richard Thompson. Born in 1945, Thompson spent his childhood and later years on his family's farm in Dayton, Oregon. Thompson's paintings breathe life into pastoral landscapes, blending modernist ideals with the tranquility of rural life.
"Home Pool," a large-scale painting on display in Salem's Convention Center, beautifully captures Thompson's love for nature, vibrant colors, and modernist style, drawing from his deep connection to the countryside and his passion for fly fishing in the Pacific Northwest.
Thompson had an accomplished career as an artist and university art professor, most notably as Dean of the School of Art & Design at Alfred University in New York and Professor of Painting at the College of Fine Arts, University of Texas in Austin. He exhibited nationally and internationally, and his works can be found in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, and the University of Portland, among many others.
The acquisition of ""Home Pool"" was made possible through the City of Salem's ½% for Art fund. Salem's Public Art Commission and the Oregon Artist Series Foundation joined forces to form an Art Selection Committee, which handpicked Richard Thompson's ""Home Pool"" from a pool of 12 local/regional artists' works.
Image: Richard Thompson, Home Pool, 1994. Oil on canvas. Salem Public Art Collection. Location: Convention Center, Floor 1