TOM BLODGETT: WORKS OF SURREAL BRILLIANCE
The striking art of Oregon artist Tom Blodgett ranges from vivid, imaginative portraits to impressionistic landscapes and intricate, dreamlike scenes of people and animals. Blodgett's surrealistic works have been described as transformative figurativism, although his powerful images were not so much transformations of external reality as images “tapped from his unconscious, his dreams, and his demons,” writes Peter Hastings Falk of Discoveries in American Art. This deeply personal artistic vision, combined with Blodgett’s exceptional drawing skills, resulted in works of intense imagination and technical brilliance.
Born in Oregon City, Oregon in 1940, Blodgett received his undergraduate degree in art from Lewis and Clark College in Portland in 1962 and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon in 1966. He studied under the important Oregon painter David McCosh and the internationally known painter, printmaker, and teacher Jack Wilkinson, who proved to be Blodgett’s most influential mentor.
Born in Oregon City, Oregon in 1940, Blodgett received his undergraduate degree in art from Lewis and Clark College in Portland in 1962 and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon in 1966. He studied under the important Oregon painter David McCosh and the internationally known painter, printmaker, and teacher Jack Wilkinson, who proved to be Blodgett’s most influential mentor.
Working from his rustic, secluded home—one without running water and often open to the elements and local squirrels—Blodgett created his many drawings, paintings, and mixed media pieces. (In his later years he razed the "shack," as he called it, and erected a bright, modern house with a large studio and soaring windows). His works have been shown in a number of solo and group exhibits in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.
Blodgett was an instructor in the Division of the Arts at Lane Community College, teaching basic and advanced courses in design, drawing, painting, figure study and visual arts. He also taught at the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, the Museum of Art School in Portland, Maude Kerns Art Center, and his own studio in Eugene. He had a reputation as a charismatic and inspiring teacher who challenged students to see art in a new way. During his later years, Blodgett continued to mentor a number of devoted students in his studio. He died in 2012 at the age of 72.
Discoveries in American Art, an organization devoted to identifying “excellent artists who have not received the full recognition they deserve,” maintains a curated, online exhibition of Blodgett’s work. His former home, studio and artwork are managed by the Tom Blodgett Estate Collection, Eugene, Oregon.
Blodgett was an instructor in the Division of the Arts at Lane Community College, teaching basic and advanced courses in design, drawing, painting, figure study and visual arts. He also taught at the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, the Museum of Art School in Portland, Maude Kerns Art Center, and his own studio in Eugene. He had a reputation as a charismatic and inspiring teacher who challenged students to see art in a new way. During his later years, Blodgett continued to mentor a number of devoted students in his studio. He died in 2012 at the age of 72.
Discoveries in American Art, an organization devoted to identifying “excellent artists who have not received the full recognition they deserve,” maintains a curated, online exhibition of Blodgett’s work. His former home, studio and artwork are managed by the Tom Blodgett Estate Collection, Eugene, Oregon.
© Blodgett Art LLC, 2020.