John Simpkins Makes Art In Isolation In The Alvord Desert
OPB traveled to Oregon’s Alvord Desert to take in the vast, serene and dramatic world of painter John Simpkins in September of 2014. John showed OPB the life that dwells in this apparently empty landscape. It is here, where he translates the unseen into works of extraordinary vision and spiritual depth. The OPB segment garnered the attention of Oregonians from every corner of the state and had increased the exposure of John's work to a much wider audience.
The segment was nominated for and subsequently awarded the Regional Emmy in the arts and entertainment category in June of 2016 at the 53rd Regional Emmy awards ceremony. Congratulations to Jule Gilfillan, Nick Fisher and John Simpkins on their achievement!
Watch the segment in its entirety below.
Photos from the Filming
Aired February 15, 2015 / Producer Jule Gilfillan / Videographer & Editor Nicholas Fisher / Additional Video Uncage the Soul Productions
“Desert Mystic” at High Desert Museum
High Desert Museum in Bend, OR presented “Desert Mystic: The Paintings of John Simpkins”, an exhibit featuring detailed and colorful paintings of wildlife from the High Desert, from October 27, 2018 through February 17, 2019. It was a banner event for the museum, seeing record numbers of visitors for this exhibit. A conversation about the work is featured on the museum’s website and can be read here.
Due to overwhelming interest, High Desert Museum continued the conversation with a virtual peek inside John’s studio on June 3, 2020 which can be seen in its entirety below.
