Glendale native’s work on display at Tufenkian Fine Arts
The works of painter Anthony Askew will be on display for the first time in Glendale since he left the city in 1971 at Tufenkian Fine Arts through April 12.
The exhibit is titled “Looking Back/Going Forward.”
Born and raised in Glendale, Askew, now based in Santa Barbara, creates large-scale abstract watercolors, prints and assemblages that explore themes of color and formal relationships, according to gallery officials.
The collage works use scavenged materials Askew has collected for decades. He reconfigures found objects and text into playful assemblages, gallery officials said.
“As an educator and an artist, I continually hope that my work reflects the optimism and zeal that life holds for me,” Askew said in a statement.
Gallery officials said Askew counts Gladis Merick, his former Hoover high school art teacher, as one of the reasons he became an artist. She always encouraged him to participate in art events, and she motivated him to stay after school to work on his ceramic projects.
Upon college graduation, Askew taught at Hoover High for three years, where he started the school’s ceramics program.
In 1956, Askew designed the winning entry for Glendale’s float titled “First Day of Spring” for the Pasadena Rose Parade.
Askew received his bachelor’s degree in fine art and sociology from UC Santa Barbara in 1962, as well as a master’s degree in printmaking from Cal State L.A. in 1971.
Askew taught art at various high schools in Southern California before he began his 25-year career at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. Askew retired in 2008 after establishing Westmont’s printmaking program and founding the Reynolds Gallery, now known as the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, according to gallery officials.
Throughout this career, he has exhibited works at a number of galleries, including the Delphine Gallery, Cabrillo Arts Center, Montecito Frame & Gallery, and the Print Arts Northwest Gallery in Portland, Ore.
Tufenkian Fine Arts is located at 216 S. Louise St., Glendale.
Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturday by appointment.
For more information, visit tufenkianfinearts.com or call (818) 288-4635.
