Semi-abstract paintings of dunes, woods and Gulf Coast light by Vernon Fowlkes, a poet of fifty years who found a second language in water and pigment.
“The fluidity of watercolor and ink constitutes a visual poetry of its own.”
After five decades as a poet, Vernon Fowlkes began painting in 2022. He lets the water move the pigment until each painting suggests, and at times dictates, its own form, the same way his poems grow from collected words and unexpected turns of phrase.
He is a member of the Mobile Art Association, the Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society of Mobile, and the Mobile Arts Council.
“These poems shine with presence and tender care. … He reminds us why we are here.”
Naomi Shihab Nye, Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets