CHARLES FORD (1941-2016) Charles Ford was born in Dallas, Texas. He earned his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Lamar University and, for the next 15 years, worked in the field of engineering. In the early 1980s, he left for New York and had a successful career as a painter there for over nine years prior to returning to Texas.As a photorealist painter, he strives to accurately convey the feeling of his environment through his vivid pieces. In his recent paintings of Houston, Ford captures the changing face of the “Magnolia City,” painting a wide range of subjects from iconic city landmarks, like the River Oaks Theater and the old Harold’s Department Store, to scenes typically overlooked by the hurried passer-by. Through his meticulous attention to detail, Ford has a unique ability to single out moments and capture the character at the heart of his chosen locations. Each Texas scene exudes a true sense of place through his particular use of light, shadow, reflection, and color. Just as in the work of Richard Estes and Chuck Close—forbearers of the American photorealist movement of the late 1960s—Ford’s paintings demonstrate the assimilation of photography into the art world. He typically works from color photographic stills to create paintings that appear to be photographs, almost mechanical in representation. Ford’s efforts result in a series of consistently elegant renditions of the Texas scene, all characterized by exceptional composition and strong elements of color and light. Selected Biographical and Career Highlights1941 Born in Dallas, Texas1964 BS, Mechanical Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont1986 Included in Who’s Who in American Art–1986, Jaques Cattell Press2005 Included in Davenport’s Art Reference: The Gold Edition, Ray Davenport, editor, Gordon’s Art Reference, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona2005 Included in The Artist’s Bluebook: 34,000 North American Artists to March 2005, edited by Lonnie Pierson Dunbier, AskART.com Inc.2016 Dies in Houston, TexasSelected Exhibitions1979 Dimension Houston, Juried Exhibit, Art League of Houston, Houston1979 Jewish Community Center of Houston, Juried Exhibit, Houston1981 New Artists at Madison Square Garden, Juried Exhibit, New York1982 Solo, Kaber Gallery, New York1982 The New Realists, Cote Galleries, Rockville Center, Huntington, New York1983 Prizewinner, Beth-El Art Show, Juried Exhibit, West Hartford, Connecticut1984 Solo, Art Expo, New York1984 Solo, The Uptown Gallery, New York1984 Painting New York, Museum of the City of New York1985 Two-person show, Las Vegas Museum of Contemporary Art, Las Vegas1985 Solo, Foxhall Gallery, Washington, DC1986 Urban Visions, Uptown Gallery, New York1986 Robinson Gallery, Los Angeles1987 Gallery Henoch, New York1988 Foxhall Gallery, Washington, D.C.1988 ABC Show, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania1989 Love Galleries, Chicago1989 Works on Paper, Queensborough Community Art Museum, New York1990 New Art from New York, Juried Exhibit, traveled to Texas and California1994 Recent Acquisitions, Museum of the City of New York1999 Solo, Uptown Gallery, New York2002 Solo, Williams Tower, Houston2003 Two-person show, Harris Gallery, Houston2004 city_works: Recent Paintings, Uptown Gallery, New York2014 Contemporary Texas Regionalist Holiday Show, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, TX2014, Charles Ford: Texas Photorealism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, TX2015 Painting in the Texas Tradition: Contemporary Texas Regionalism, Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, Spring2015 Ties that Bind: Contemporary Texas Regionalism, Turner House, Dallas2015, Texas Aesthetic IX: Contemporary Texas Regionalists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, TX2015, Texas Visions, Contemporary Texas Regionalism, Nave Museum, Victoria, TX2015 Holiday Show with the Contemporary Texas Regionalists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, TX2016, Texas Aesthetic X: Contemporary Texas Regionalists, William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX· 2017-18, Of Texas Rivers & Texas Art touring exhibition: San Angelo Museum of Art, San Angelo, TX; Texas State Capitol, Austin, TX; Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX; and Mayborn Museum at Baylor University, Waco, TX. Collections· Chevron Headquarters, Midland, TX· Hershey Foundation, Houston, TX· Warburg Pincus, Houston, TX