Tom LaDuke (born 1964) is an American painter and sculptor whose work explores themes of nature,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, and memory, and utilizes a wide range of image depiction and surface techniques.

Early life and education

LaDuke was born in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

. He grew up in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, where he continues to live and work today. In 1991, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

. Three years later in 1994, he completed his Master of Fine Arts at The

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and ...

, Illinois.

Works

LaDuke's paintings are often multi-layered surfaces that employ both precise image-rendering as well as odd gestural marks and sculptural accumulations of paint. The subject matter of his work is varied, including deceptions of nature alongside science-fiction elements and abstract mark-making. He is primarily a painter, but he occasionally exhibits sculptures which explore similar themes of the body, nature, and artificiality.

Exhibitions

He has exhibited his work regularly since 2001, in solo shows at the Angeles Gallery in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, the CRG gallery in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and most recently at the

Kohn Gallery Kohn Gallery is an art gallery established in 1985 and located in Hollywood, California. The space, under the direction of gallerist Michael Kohn, has exhibited works by seminal Pop artist Wallace Berman, Colombian painter Maria Berrio, María Ber ...

. In 2010, his traveling exhibition, "Run Generator", was shown at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and traveled to the Weatherspoon Museum in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaDuke, Tom 1964 births 20th-century American painters School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni American sculptors Living people California State University, Fullerton alumni People from Holyoke, Massachusetts 21st-century American painters