BIOGRAPHY:
Jerome Walker was born in Peoria, Illinois but grew up in the small coal mining town of Harrisburg in southern Illinois where he studied art for four years at the local high school and created drawings for the school newspaper and yearbooks. At the age of seventeen, while still a junior in high school, he was hired as Assistant Art Director at the new television station just opened in the town.
Walker was basically self taught in Fine Art until he received a scholarship from the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied for several years before leaving to be a full time painter. He was soon exhibiting in many galleries and invitational exhibitions in Chicago as well as nationally and in London and Paris. He has been, at one time or another, a free lance illustrator, art school teacher, designer as well as a Senior Art Director for one of the world's largest advertising agencies, spending a great part of each year working in Hollywood.
After moving to California with his wife, Julie in 1999, Walker's paintings exploded with bold strokes and exuberant, vivid colors culminating in the series titled "Julie's Garden", in spite of the fact that he became legally blind in one eye and had astigmatism and a great deal of color blindness in the other. Now living back in Chicago, he and Julie look forward to an exciting future with a new home and a new series of drawings and paintings.
Walker has been a member of AIA (Artists International Association) in London, where he lived and painted for two years, Artist's Guild of Chicago, SDAI (San Diego Art Institute) Museum of The Living Artist, ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art, London).
EDUCATION:
Scholarship, Art Institute of Chicago. Left after several years of day and evening classes to pursue painting full time.
Studied Animation at Columbia College under noted animator, Gordon Sheehan.
FACULTY:
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts: set up their first Printmaking Department and taught etching and drawing classes.
SOLO, TWO AND FOUR PERSON EXHIBITIONS:
Permanent Collection, Krannert Art Museum
Bernard Horwich Center, Chicago
Americana Gallery, Chicago
Mundelein College Gallery, Chicago
"Arena Series", Adele Rosenberg Gallery, Chicago
"Zebra Drawings", Adele Rosenberg Gallery, Chicago
"New Works", V. Price Gallery, Chicago
Pro Grafica Arte, Chicago
Bernard Horwich Center, Chicago
Auerbach Gallery, Chicago
"Works on Paper", AIA Gallery, London
"Christmas Present" Adele Rosenberg Gallery, Chicago
"Two Monoprint Men" Gerald Bernard Gallery, Chicago
"Union League Club" Invitational, Chicago
Bernard Horwich Center Invitational, Chicago
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
"Chicago Response " show, Bergman Gallery, U of C, Chicago
U of C, Cobb Hall, Chicago
U of C, Dekalb, Ill.
Graphic Arts Council, Certificate of Excellence, (Drawing), Chicago
"Spectrum" exhibition, Chicago
PAC exhibition, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
"The Sunken City Rises," Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
"Eye On Chicago," Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
”Phalanx 4," Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Suburban Fine Arts Center, Chicago
Columbia College, Chicago
Crucible Gallery, Chicago
Art Associates Gallery, Chicago
Ravinia Arts Festival, Chicago
"Prints & Drawings", University of Wisconsin
"Dealer's Choice", Chicago Sun-Times Gallery
Francis Parker School Invitational, Chicago
Chicago Artist's Guild Award (collage)
Faculty Exhibition, Chicago Academy of Fine Arts
Chicago Magazine Invitational, Chicago Civic Center
Rosenstone Gallery, Chicago
Pac Invitational, Chicago
Union League Club Invitational, Chicago
Bernard Horwich Center Invitational, Chicago
Joachim Gallery of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Regional Show, San Diego Art Institute, (SDAI) Nov. 2008
Regional Show, SDAI, Dec. 2008
Regional Show, SDAI, Jan. 2009
Small Images Show, Gallery 21, Jan. 2009
Regional Show, SDAI, Sept. 2009
Regional Show, SDAI, Dec. 2009
Regional Show, SDAI, Jan. 2010
Regional Show, SDAI, March, 2010
Southern California Show, Apr. 2010
Regional Show, SDAI, June, 2010
Regional Show, SDAI, Aug. 2010
Regional Show, SDAI, Sept. 2010
Regional Show, SDAI, Jan. 2011
Regional Show, SDAI, Feb. 2011
Regional Show, SDAI, Mar. 2011
Regional Show, SDAI, June, 2011
Regional Show, SDAI, Aug. 2011
Gallery 21, Small Images Show, Jan. 2012
Regional Show, SDAI, Jan. 2012
Regional Show, SDAI, June, 2012
Athenaeum Arts Library Juried Show, La Jolla, CA. August, 2012
Regional Show, SDAI, Sept. 2012
Regional Show, SDAI, Jan. 2013
Gordon, Weiss & Schanzlin Vision Institute
PUBLICATIONS:
Artist's Collaborative of Chicago, Folio, 20 original serigraphs by members. Limited edition of 130 copies.
"Davenport's Art Reference and Price Guide", 1983-4 Edition.
"SANE" Calendar Book: "Art by 12 Artists."
"Art Buzz 2010" book: Honorable Mention.
"Who's Who In American Art" 1983-4 Edition.
"International Contemporary Artists, Vol. III" book.
"Art Buzz 2012" book: Honorable Mention.
"International Contemporary Artists Vol. IV" book.
