Artist Talk: Milford Zornes

This art talk about Milford Zornes will discuss his lengthy art career, using a number of his paintings as a visual back drop. We will discuss important events including his national and international workshops, his influence as a mentor and teacher and his selection to the National Academy.

In addition Hal Baker will share the trials and tribulations involved in publishing the three books and one more that is in process.

Milford Zornes is considered one of the finest watercolor artists in the nation for his unique style of painting. While his largest body of work was watercolors, he also painted many oils. One of the “California Scene” painters of the ’30s and ’40s, Zornes’ use of color and broad strokes changed the perception of how watercolors were typically painted. As a World War II Army artist, traveler and teacher, Zornes painted up to his 100th birthday in January, 2008.

Zornes’ paintings hang in museums and galleries across the country, including the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Fine Art, National Academy of Design, and a U.S. War Department collection.

Quotes from Milford Zornes:

“ I believe in the importance of being a painter and the importance of studying painting. I paint because it is a compulsion. It is the way I live and the way I think. It is all I am.”

“If an artist uses his mind, he is using a tool that is unique unto himself. Do not merely see with your eyes, see with your mind”.