Sun Patterns, Dark Canyon: The Paintings and Aquatints of Doel Reed (1894-1985)
July 6 - October 30, 2021 OSU Museum of Art
On display at the OSU Museum of Art in Stillwater from July 6 through October 30 is
an outstanding exhibition of the work of Doel Reed. Guest curated by Professor Rebecca
Brienen, Sun Patterns, Dark Canyon explores the art and career of Doel Reed and includes a diverse selection of his
paintings and aquatints.
Doel Reed (1894-1985) is best known today as a Southwestern artist and "master of
the aquatint.” Reed began summering in the Taos artists’ colony starting in the 1940s
and permanently moved to New Mexico in 1959, following his retirement as Head of the
OSU Art Department. Reed’s early work includes Oklahoma subjects - rural mailboxes,
farmhouses and the curving banks of the Cimarron River. His New Mexico work features
the mountainous topography, geology and history of New Mexico, which were an endless
source of inspiration to him. Included in the exhibition are over sixty works of art
by Doel Reed and his contemporaries.
Doel Reed exhibited widely throughout his lifetime, won numerous awards and was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design in 1952. In 1984, when Reed was 90 years old, his prints were included in no fewer than five national exhibitions in New York City.
The exhibition and its accompanying catalog are made possible by gifts from many generous donors, including Kent and Jeanette Young, the Doel Reed Center, Neal and Lora Buck, and the Vaughn Vennerberg II Endowed Chair fund in Art. The accompanying catalog is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Family Foundation.
Following its debut at the OSU Museum of Art,
Sun Patterns, Dark Canyons will travel to the following museums:
- Witchita Art Museum, Witchita, Kansas | November 20, 2021 to March 14, 2022
- Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, Taos, New Mexico | May 24, 2022 to August 28, 2022