Dombek to Discuss and Sign New Book from UA Press

Scott County Barn with Signs, 2015, Watercolor.

Washington County Red Barn, 2013, Watercolor.

Franklin County Barn with Grass, 2015, Watercolor.

Sibling Rivalry, 2014, Watercolor.

Sandy’s Pot, 2005, Watercolor.

Photo credit: University of Arkansas Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fayetteville artist George Dombek will discuss and sign his new book, Barns and Portrait Paintings, at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The free public event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.

The book, published by the University of Arkansas Press in collaboration with the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, features Dombek’s paintings of barns from each of the 75 counties in Arkansas, a project that took him around the state over a three-year period. Also included are his “portrait” paintings, which feature found objects such as rusting metal pipes, tin cans, tractor parts, and farm implements arranged similarly to a classic group portrait, each subject imbued with a distinctive personality.

Henry Adams, who wrote commentary for the book, described its architectural connections, saying it included “an impressive grasp of issues of physical support and structure. All the posts and supports line up solidly as they should – if you constructed a building from the information in these paintings it would stand up.”

Dombek, educated in architecture at the University of Arkansas, has taught architecture and art at universities in Arkansas, Ohio, Florida, Saudi Arabia, and Italy. His work has been included in over 800 museum, corporate, and private collections and exhibited in more than 150 shows.

Henry Adams is professor of American art at Case Western Reserve University. Commentary for the book was also provided by Laura Terry, professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, and Louis Zona, executive director of the Butler Institute of American Art.

Crystal Bridges is located at 600 Museum Way in Bentonville. George Dombek is the creator of the Tour de Apple Tree sculpture on the Crystal Bridges Art Trail.

About the University of Arkansas Press: The University of Arkansas Press was founded in 1980 as the book publishing division of the University of Arkansas. A member of the Association of American University Presses, it has as its central and continuing mission the publication of books that serve both the broader academic community and Arkansas and the region.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.