JAMES OCHS
Tet, 1968, Acrylic and watercolor crayon on paper, 36" x 61", 1996-2015

In his own words:

I was born in Denver, Colorado in 1943 and have been drawing since . . . except when I was an altar boy, a nasty one at that. I did my undergraduate work at Colorado State University specializing in painting, and my senior year was involved in printmaking. I was drafted after graduation and spent one year in Vietnam, but never stopped drawing. After my tour, I started my graduate studies at the University of Iowa graduating with an M.A. and M.F.A. in printmaking and drawing. I have never stopped making art and continue to search for new ways to make an idea and statement with more depth. My current works start as monoprints or monotypes and are reworked to make a statement that not only shows the image but the environment that makes them unique; air, atmosphere, and mood.  I love the quote by Jasper Johns, "take something and do something to it, then do something else to it."

About Tet, 1968:

". . . Jim Ochs says he painted the 36-by-61-inch "Tet, 1968," as a "protest against all wars," not just the Vietnamese conflict in which he served and from which he drew the painting's title. Ochs worked on the acrylic and watercolor crayon painting from 1996 to 2015."
—From "Worth Fighting For," Des Moines Magazine

James Ochs at Moberg Gallery