The State of Oil Painting in Washington
Item
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Title
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The State of Oil Painting in Washington
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Creator
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Merrily Tompkins
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Artist ID
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112
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Date of Work
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1977
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Description
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Wood box on pedestal with arms and a head, left arm holding an oil can pointed at a mountain scene painting on an easel (stored separate from rest of piece).
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Category of Media
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Sculpture, freestanding, interior
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Media
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Mixed, wood
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Accession Number
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1976.008
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Location
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storage - 3D object shelves
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Date Acquired
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1976
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Acquisition Method
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Purchase
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Dimensions of Work
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16.5" x 16" x 7.25" (irregular dimensions)
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Donor ID
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112
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Artist Bio
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Merrily Tompkins (1947-2018) first received notice as an artist for her metal work in the early 1970s. She was following in the footsteps of her older brother, Don. In fact, she literally followed him to Central Washington University (then Central Washington State College) in the 1960s where he was teaching in the art department. "I took classes from my brother and I liked it," Tompkins said. "I went to Seattle, got a job. I showed a gallery owner what I was doing. She asked if I wanted to do a show. It sold out, and I said, 'I'll just do this.'"
Over the years, Tompkins has branched out to work with a wide variety of materials, but she said the focus of her art has not changed. "I'm interested in the same stuff, no matter want medium I'm working in," Tompkins said. Asked for a short description of her art, Tompkins said, "It's multi-media, three-dimensional, figurative, narrative, that's it." Much of her recent work includes moving parts. "I like moving pieces," she said.
Due to renowned metalsmith artists, such as Ramona Solberg, Don Tompkins and Ken Cory, coming to teach at Central, the school developed a legacy for ground-breaking metal work, something that continues under Keith Lewis. Tompkins had an artistic and personal relationship with Cory, who died in 1994. When she returned to Ellensburg she purchased the Cory's home. The house itself is a piece of art. Becoming a parent sidetracked Tompkins' artistic output a bit, but she says she's now getting back up to speed. She's working on a portrait of Leonard Cohen for a show to open in Finland. Compared to earlier in her career, Tompkins said there is also more interest and acceptance of her type of work in the art world. "There was a stigma of art versus craft," Tompkins said. "Art jewelry has emerged in the past couple of decades."
Source: https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/a-free-spiritjazzed-up-about-art/article_f2078b2d-01d4-5313-a5b2-07d45688bb97.html
Tompkins may be best-known in the Puget Sound region for her public art sculpture / planter / mosaic "Big Tesla" depicting inventor and electrical pioneer Nikolai Tesla, which is sited at Seattle City Light’s North Service Center.
Source: https://artbeat.seattle.gov/2018/05/16/in-remembrance-merrily-tompkins/
More about Ellensburg's Funk Art & Found Jewelry artists here: https://www.ganoksin.com/article/ellensburg-funky/
