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David Baker
Dowagiac, Michigan
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Top Row: Ox-Bow of the Virgin; From the Shadows; The Virgin and the
Watchman
Bottom: The Alter of Sacrifice; Red Arch Mountain; The Angel's Trail
All are 11x14 watercolors; framed
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Artist Biography & Statement
Though I've lived most of my life in Michigan, I have a fascination with the West
that multiplies with every visit. For a landscape painter every place has its unique
beauty, but the West has a poetry of space and color not found in my homeland.
My past travels in northern New Mexico have led to a series of paintings in both oil
and watercolor.
The paintings for the Gallery at Clarke's came about as a result of a mural
commission for an indoor rock climbing gym. I wanted to depict a destination that
would resonate with world class climbers. Zion National Park afforded the perfect
combination of dramatic architecture and a full palette of colors. Angel's Landing,
Zion's most iconic peak, is the focal point of my 30 x 55 foot mural. The memory
of hiking admidst the magic and the grandeur of Zion Canyon is the inspiration for
these watercolors.
While I have worked in many different genres, my subject matter for the past
dozen years has been primarily the landscape or fragments taken from the
landscape. When possible, I work 'en plein air', frequently working from a canoe
as my studio. I find my subjects among the dunes and inland lakes along the coast
of Lake Michigan.
Currently, I am Professor Emeritus, and continue as painting instructor at
Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, MI. I am also on the faculty of the
Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, MI, a 100 year old summer art school
sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago.
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EDUCATION
Indiana State University; Terre Haute, Indiana
Master of Fine Arts - Summa Cum Laude, 1980
Major: Painting and Drawing
Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, Michigan
Bachelor of Science - Education, 1972
Major: Art
Minor: Drawing and Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow School of Art
Post Graduate study
Teaching Experience
Southwestern Michigan College, Dowagiac, MI; 1981-2010
Instructor of Art - Painting, Drawing, 2-D Design, Life Drawing, Art Appreciation,
Watercolor, Color Theory
Presently: Professor Emeritus, Professor of Painting
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow Summer School of Art, Saugatuck,
MI; 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
Drawing/Watercolor Instructor
Southern Wells Schools, Poneto, IN; 1974-1981
High School art teacher
Springport Community School, Springport, MI; 1972-1974
Middle School art teacher
EXHIBITIONS
Goshen College, Goshen, IN, 2009
Buchanan Art Center, Buchanan, MI, 2008
Vesuvius Art Gallery, Glenn, MI, 2007
Water Street Glassworks, Benton Harbor, MI, 2006
Woodfire Italian Trattoria, Dowagiac, MI, 2006
Vesuvius Art Gallery, Glenn, MI, 2005
Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids, MI, 2005
Vesuvius Art Gallery, Glenn, MI, 2003
On Exhibit, Colfax Cultural Center, South Bend, IN, 2002
Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, Dowagiac, MI, 2001
Vesuvius Art Gallery, Glenn, MI, 2001
Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, MI, 1999
Fontana Festival of Music and Art, Kalamazoo, MI, 1999, 2001
Dietrich, Smith, Howard and VanderRoest Invitational Exhibit, Kalamazoo, MI, 1998,
1999, 2001
People's Church, Kalamazoo, MI, 1998
Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI, 3 person show, 1992
Fernwood Nature Center, Niles, MI, 1991
Blank Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN, 1990
Art Link Gallery, Ft. Wayne, IN "Between Extremes" Group Invitational Show 1984
JURIED EXHIBITIONS
Michigan Annual Art Competition; Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, MI, 2004
The Other Side of the Lake Juried Art Exhibition, Gallery North, New Buffalo, MI,
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
Elkhart Juried Regional, Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, IN, 1982, 1984,
1988, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006
Cross Currents Juried Exhibit, John Blank Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN,
1994, 1995, 2000
Kalamazoo Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute for the Arts, Kalamazoo, MI, 1983,
1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2000
Annual Michigan Art Competition, Holland Area Arts Council, Holland, MI, 1987,
1988, 1994
The Ox-Bow Painters Exhibition, Winnetka, IL, 1994
All Michigan All Media, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI, 1990
Annual Juried Regional Artists' Competition, Carnegie Art Center, Three Rivers, MI,
1989, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Michigan Artists' Competition, Battle Creek Art Center, Battle Creek, MI 1984
Southwestern Michigan Regional Art Competition, Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI,
1983, 1984, 1987, 1988
35th A.A.U.W. Regional Exhibition; Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI 1982
Fort Wayne Regional Artists Exhibition Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN
1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Fort Wayne Artists Build Exhibit, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN, 1978,
1979.
JUDGING EXPERIENCE
Annual Juried Regional Artists' Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three
Rivers, MI, 2000
Goshen College, Goshen, IN, Student Show, 1998, 2009
Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN, Student Show, 1998
Krasl Art Center, Art on the Bluff, St. Joseph, MI, 1996, 1998
Northern Indiana Artists Association at Fernwood Nature Center, Niles, MI, 1996
West Washington Art Fair, Copshaholm, South Bend, IN, 1993
Scholastic Art Awards, South Bend, IN, 1993
AWARDS
2004 Box Factory for the arts, Juried Exhibit, Best Mixed Media Award
1994 Area Artists Association Juried Exhibit, Arts Center Guild Award
1987 Southwestern Michigan Regional Art Competition - 4th Prize
1984 Elkhart Juried Regional Show - D & H Glass Purchase Award
1983 St. Joseph's Annual Art Competition - People's State Bank Purchase Award
1982 Michiana Public Television Juried Competition - 1st prize
1980 Tri-Kappa Regional Artist's Exhibition - 2nd prize
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