Michael C. Spafford
For the month of February, Russo Lee Gallery is pleased to exhibit Of Gods and Heroes, a collection of paintings by Seattle artist Michael Spafford. Spafford’s expressive works of mythic figures are bold, painterly, bordering on the abstract. The energetic compositions reveal a process layered with color. This exhibition features 12 Labors of Hercules, a group of oil on paper works, as well as large-scale canvases and works on paper
A graduate of Pomona College and Harvard University, he is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Washington School of Art. During his career as a painter and printmaker, he has received numerous awards, including a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant, the first Behnke Foundation “Neddy” award, and a Flintridge Foundation Award. In 1967 he was given the Rome Prize and was honored in 1983 with an art award from The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, NYC. His work includes mural commissions at the Kingdome, The Washington State House of Representatives Chamber, and the Seattle Opera House.
Seattle painter, printmaker and teacher Michael Spafford, whose work inspired both passionate admiration and occasional controversy, died Saturday at the age of 86. The cause was lung cancer, according to his son, Spike Mafford.
When Michael Spafford died in late January, Seattle lost more than an acclaimed painter.
Spafford was also a beloved teacher and community builder, a man who nurtured several generations of artists during his 30-year tenure on the University of Washington School of Art faculty. After Spafford’s family announced his death from lung cancer on Jan. 29, former students, gallerists, curators and friends remembered the man as tough, disciplined, ethical, and devoted to everything he did.