VAN BUREN, ARK.- Arts On Main, a state-of-the-art exhibition and education center, will close its inaugural exhibition, Timothy J. Clark - American Master, with a celebration lecture by noted art historian and Director at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, Gallery of Art & Design, Dr. Matthew Bailey. The event will take place on Thursday, December 15, at 6:00pm, and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Bailey will share his insight into the influences and inspirations of Clark’s art, from Sargent and Homer to his celebrated African American portraits, one of which has recently been acquired by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.




Clark, who has studios in California and Maine, is an artist of renown, whose work has been described by art writers and historians as “poetic realism”; and “unwavering representational imagery, with a decidedly unorthodox bent.” Mr. Jean Stern once wrote, “Timothy J. Clark sees things the rest of us can’t.” More than seventy of Clark’s paintings and drawings are in the permanent collections of dozens of museums from coast to coast.

The exhibition at Arts On Main is focused on three distinct themes, including selections from Clark’s Family Reunion exhibition, that was first presented at Howard University’s Gallery of Art in January 2022; paintings from his recent show as the featured artist in American Travelers: A Watercolor Journey Through Spain, Portugal, and Mexico,” at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York; and on subjects that inspire Clark on a day-to-day basis, from a lighthouse in Maine, to the timeless beauty of a woman resting.

“Timothy J. Clark has been a friend of Arts on Main for a quarter century,” said Jane Owen, Executive Director of Arts on Main. “As we move forward in our new facility, we are honored to have his nationally-celebrated paintings in this exhibition, curated by TL Campbell.”