ARTS & CULTURE
By Abigail Singrey | Photos courtesy of George Dombek Studio & Gallery
Artist George Dombek Celebrates 30 Years of Open Studio
For 65 years, George Dombek has been transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. From barns and bicycles to butterflies and birds, the celebrated painter renders everyday objects with such precision and imagination that they seem to exist in a space between reality and dream.
This month, Dombek celebrates a milestone: 30 years of welcoming the public into the studio and gallery he personally designed and built, tucked deep in the wooded hills outside Fayetteville. From 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 1-16, visitors are invited into his light-filled space, where paintings hang alongside the tools of his craft and where the artist himself is often ready to chat with guests. The Open Studio isn’t just an art show, it’s a glimpse into the mind, methods and workspace of one of Arkansas’ most acclaimed painters.
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Inside, visitors will find watercolor paintings and art glass that chart the passage of time on weathered barns, birds painted with an architect’s eye for line and structure, and the occasional playful twist, such as a stick bicycle suspended from a tree branch.
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Born in Paris, Arkansas, in 1944, Dombek studied both art and architecture at the University of Arkansas, disciplines that continue to shape his compositions. Wherever he’s gone, his surroundings have filtered into his work. Yet barns remain his constant — an enduring subject tied not only to his graduate studies but also to the barn on his property. More than simply restored, the structure now reflects his vision, with added features such as custom art glass and other personal touches making it uniquely his.
Madison County Barn with Blue Truck, 2022, Watercolor, 30" x 40"
Within the Twigs, 2022, Watercolor, 20" x20"
Barn at Sunset, 2025, Watercolor, 20" x20"
​Over the decades, Dombek’s paintings have hung in galleries and museums across the United States and abroad. Several pieces are held at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, just a short drive from his studio. In addition to his paintings, he has created striking glass installations, most notably the art glass windows at The Preacher’s Son in Bentonville.
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Now in his 80s, Dombek shows no signs of slowing down. At any time, he may have six to twelve paintings in progress, and he admits, “I can honestly say I’ve painted 360 days a year for the past 10 years.” His recent work explores barns at night, native plants, butterflies and the birds that dart through the trees outside his studio.
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For Dombek, the watercolor in his painting is part of the story itself. “Watercolor tends to take on a life of its own,” he said. “It wants to do what it wants to do. Unlike other mediums, you can see the paper through the paint — it becomes part of the texture. The brilliance of the color comes through.”
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That balance of control and surrender, structure and surprise, is at the heart of his art — and what makes a visit to his Open Studio not just a look at paintings but also an experience of watching life translated into luminous form.
