Painter Tom Fawkes and weaver Judith Poxson Fawkes met at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan during the 1960s. They moved to Oregon to pursue teaching positions and have both become highly accomplished artists. This is the first exhibition of this husband and wife couple at the Laura Russo Gallery.

Tom Fawkes is interested in places of culture and history. The exhibit shows scenes of light-filled Southern Mediterranean landscapes from his travels to Portugal and the ruins of Pompeii.The immaculate renderings are in the style of trompe l’oeil with modelled surfaces that are built up using glazes. The illusionistic paintings are captivating in their realism. With acute technical skill, he depicts manicured and aged European gardens with soft light falling on forms.

Judith Poxson Fawkes’ tapestries are created with linen through a double weave process that yields beautiful and mesmerizing results. In her latest works, Poxson Fawkes moves away from distinct representation. Instead, she captures patterns of movement that reference wind and water. In some of her recent pieces, three-dimensional shapes emerge from the woven surfaces to suggest the fluidity of boat forms floating on water. The process of weaving is innately structured and geometric. The colourful intersections of weft and warp lines activate the tactile surfaces as Poxson Fawkes’ dynamic designs embrace their rhythmic interactions.

Allyn Cantor