John Dawson (Arizona, b. 1946), "Wild Bill", watercolor on watercolor paper, signed lower right, inscribed on the verso with signature, artist's home address, date (1999)

sheet: 40 x 26 in., frame: 48 x 36 in.

Provenance: Property from a Tucson, Arizona art and antiques collector

John Dawson is a painter, draftsman, and sculptor who earned a BFA from the University of New Mexico in 1969 and an MFA from Arizona State University in 1974, also studying for a summer at the University of Hawaii. He draws inspiration from the Old Masters, including Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Gainsborough, and others, as well as from children’s art, outsider art, and “primitive” traditions. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Dawson has held over 60 solo exhibitions in galleries and museums, with works in private and public collections nationwide. His art has been reviewed in publications such as "Art News", "Art Week", "Southwest Art", and "Art Voices South", and he has collaborated with Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona. A comprehensive overview of his work was published in 2004 in "Dawson: Thirty Years".