A short 18-mile drive from the Pacific Ocean, the greater Fallbrook area is well known for its gently rolling hills, lush groves, ancient oak trees, equestrian and walking trails, riparian areas, nature preserves, and Mediterranean climate.
Artist profile: Brett Stokes
Brett Stokes is known as an enigma in art circles. The
fifty-year-old is a celebrated "leanin' tree" greeting card artist who has
created his own line, "Wild, Wild West." But the more pronounced imagery
associated with his paintings is not the cowboy art whimsically rendered for
heartfelt greeting card sentiment - Stokes is better known for a strong
commitment to his inner vision, the environment, and vivid Native
American imagery, including bold portraiture, but not excluding sociopolitical
commentary and a voice for the natural world.
The artist's family ancestry includes Native American heritage from the plains
of Oklahoma. "I believe when my great aunt told me as a child, as she told my
father, that we were Indian, that I am compelled to honor and respect the old
ones who prayed for us, in a good way." The artist's focus on Native American
imagery began as a child in California. This vision
continues as conceptual paintings, monotypes, and sculptures in his current body
of work.
Brett Stokes' art is a reflection of his Cherokee heritage, including the
interrelation of man, the natural world, and all his relations, resulting in the
blending of mixed blood with tribal purity.
The
artist has exhibited in private and public galleries and his
work is widely collected nationally and internationally. In 1996 he was
honored by the Fallbrook Village Association with the "Artist of the Year" award
and in 2003 he was the popular vote winner for the California Quarter Design.
His large scale murals grace several buildings in downtown Fallbrook.
Over his career Stokes has been represented by many fine galleries in
Denver, Taos, Palm Desert, San Juan Capistrano, Sedona and Fallbrook. Exhibition
highlights include the Trail of Tears Show at the Cherokee Heritage Museum in
2004, the Free Native American Show in Oklahoma City in 2000, and Artworks
Gallery Magazine in Japan in 1990.
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