In early 2022, after five decades as a poet, Vernon Fowlkes expanded his creative practice to include semi-abstract landscape painting in watercolor and ink. He is drawn to water-based media for the ways in which they actively shape the creative process, moving and flowing until each painting begins to suggest, and at times even dictate, its final form. This process echoes his approach to poetry. Working with collected words and turns of phrase, he allows unexpected combinations to reveal their own direction, rhythm, and form.

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For Vernon, the fluidity of watercolor and ink constitutes a visual poetry of its own. In his paintings, light and shadow take the place of the sounds and silences of his poetry, revealing landscapes (or hints of landscapes) that seem to call themselves into being. He finds this sense of surprise and
revelation especially rewarding. Through these works, he seeks to evoke a response that is both intimate and distinct for each viewer; an unexpected moment of recognition, connection, or discovery.

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Vernon graduated from LSU in 1977 with a degree in English/Creative Writing. He worked for the next ten years in advertising and marketing
before making a leap into the information technology field, where he remained until he retired in 2017. In addition to the Mobile Art

Association, he is a member of the Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society of Mobile, and the Mobile Arts Council.