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Summer Morning

by Dean Bloodgood

Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 47 x 42
Purchased through a National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1972

Summer Morning by Dean Bloodgood

The Artwork

Set in what seems an austere bedroom, the artist created a scene in which the rotating blades of a fan form the emphasis of the composition around which all other elements are aligned with approximate symmetry. Though the pedestal fan is placed in the front center of the artwork, it is the light and shadows of the sheets of the unmade bed which draw attention to the areas of the barren room. The artist is able to convey a sense of time and temperature through subtle elements of the painting. The mere presence of the fan coupled with the lack of blankets provides some indication of the room's warmth. The slight illumination on the floor and bedsheets hint at the possibility of the sun still being low on the horizon. Finally, the unmade condition of the bed may imply, that its occupant has just awoken and left the room.

The Artist

Dean Bloodgood received his Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Texas in Austin in 1958. He then moved to Los Angeles where he received his Master of Fine Art from the University of Southern California in 1960. Following his university education, Bloodgood supported himself with various jobs and continued to develop his painting and drawing. He began his teaching career at the University of Illinois but, in 1964, after one year, accepted a position at Oklahoma State University where he would remain for the next four decades. His work is included in the permanent collections of the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Philbrook Museum of Art, City of El Paso as well as many private collections. His work has been featured in solo, group, juried, and invitational exhibits through the southwest from Texas to California.