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 As a young man in the early 1950s, George Earl Fox created extraordinary works of art that reflected daily life in the beautiful little city of Sarasota, Florida. There was no way for him to know then that the scenes he painted would become Sarasota’s historic, now vanished, landmarks. In his award-winning style of abstract realism, George Fox captured Sarasota’s unique fusion of “culture and carnival” in a series of extraordinary watercolor and ink paintings.
For more than 50 years, these paintings have been treasured in the private art collections of Fox’s family and friends. Now, using advanced fine art reproduction techniques, George Fox has published a series of his early works entitled “Sarasota Circa 1952.”
George Fox fell in love with Sarasota as a 10-year-old boy. His family moved from the farming town of Sanford, Florida to the “big city” in 1930, when his father became the supervisor of the celery division of Palmer Farms. The young Fox, known by his seven siblings as “Earl,” was impressed by Sarasota’s ornate downtown buildings. While a junior at Sarasota High, Fox was thrilled with his first after-school job: usher at the glamorous Florida Theater, now the Sarasota Opera House.
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From l. to r. are Hilton Leech, bronze medal winner, George Earl Fox, gold medal winner for his "Siesta Market", and Syd Solomon, silver medal winner.
-Sarasota Hearld Tribune, January 4, 1953 |
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After serving in the Navy in World War II, George Fox had the opportunity to attend the Ringling School of Art on the GI Bill. As a student, Fox readily employed his distinctive style in intriguing watercolor paintings of his favorite Sarasota scenes. During this time, he also served on the Board of Directors of the Sarasota Art Association with artists Ben Stahl, Syd Solomon, Hilton Leech; architect Victor Lundy; and writer John D. MacDonald.
In 1953, George Fox entered a painting of the Siesta Fish Market in the “National Members Annual Show” at the Sarasota Art Association. Fox came away with the Gold Medal, while more famous contestants, Syd Solomon and Hilton Leech, settled for the Silver and the Bronze.
George Fox graduated from Ringling School of Art in 1954. That same year he was offered a position at the Art Barn & School in Salt Lake City. He remained in Utah until 1987, retiring, after an impressive teaching career, as the chair of the Fine Arts Department of Rowland Hall, St. Mark’s School. Fox returned to his family’s Spanish-style home in downtown Sarasota, where his talent continues to flourish. He is currently “in studio,” working on a new collection of Sarasota paintings!
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