Artwork copyright Marty Avrett. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Marty Avrett. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Morning Memory Diversion, 1986

Marty Avrett
American Coushatta (Koasati) Choctaw Cherokee (born 1942)

Location: Office of the Attorney General - Natural Resources Division (Olympia), Olympia

About the Artwork

Based on natural phenomena and the desert landscape, Morning Memory Diversion is conceived as a stylized manipulation of artist Marty Avrett's observations of nature. Describing this process, Avrett states "the subject matter, thus evolved, becomes the vehicle for addressing formal and mechanical problems, philosophical issues and a continued refinement of a universally shared language that is image making."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Office of the Attorney General.

About the Artist

Oklahoma-based painter and art professor Marty Avrett (Coushatta, Choctaw, Cherokee) creates abstract and representational paintings informed by natural landscapes. About his work, Avrett states "Formally, my concerns have to do with spatial illusions, light and its quality, color and surface. I would classify myself as a colorist who is trying to arrive at a kind of personal truth about the images he makes." He is Professor Emeritus at Oklahoma State University.