King County Series
Boyer Gonzales
King County Courthouse
Abstract paintings give objects new life on canvas.
Boyer Gonzales found inspiration in rocks, trees, the sky, shadows, ancient ruins, and whatever else he might observe in the world. Then he transformed them into something entirely new.
“Most of my work stems from visual experience, but it is not representational in the traditional sense,” he said. “I strive to build a ‘form-life’ that allows the painting to exist for itself and have a spirit of its own.”
Gonzales’ King County Series, a set of eight paintings, was commissioned as part of the Honors Program, which recognizes visual artists who have made significant contributions to our region through the sustained production of high-quality artwork.
Born in Galveston, TX, Gonzales (1909 – 1987) spent time as a child at the artists’ colony in Woodstock, NY, where his father had a studio. After earning a degree in architecture from the University of Virginia in 1931, he studied painting in Woodstock with his father and others, including Henry Lee McFee, who introduced him to the abstract landscapes of Paul Cézanne. From that point forward, Gonzales embraced abstraction and quickly found an audience for his work. Together, he and McFee established the Museum School of Art in San Antonio; Gonzales then went on to join the faculty at the University of Texas before serving in the army during WWII. He eventually came to Seattle in 1954 when he accepted a position as director of the School of Art at the University of Washington. Gonzales exhibited his work intermittently during his career. Some of his paintings are held in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and others.
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King County Courthouse
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