Students as Friends
In 2011, I, along with my former colleague Julie Marks Blackstone, had the chance to take a group of OBU Art and Design students to NYC for a study tour. One of those students was a kid from Weleetka, Oklahoma named Lucas Simmons. He was not a major within our program but was brought along by some students of mine. I was a bit wary of a non-art kid tagging along to New York. He was purportedly a talented guy but had bounced around from major to major during his time at OBU.
As it turned out, Lucas fit in well among the group, and he seemed to soak in his surroundings in a particularly deep way. Soon after that trip, Lucas changed his major to Art. He fast-tracked his degree and managed to finish on time. Lucas had one of the best senior shows I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if that trip to NYC changed his trajectory toward art, but it certainly didn’t hurt. He went on from OBU to study painting at OU where he earned his MFA.
Occasionally, students become friends, and that’s been the case here. I’ve had the chance to watch him flourish as an artist over the last 14 years. I’d like to think that I’ve played a role, albeit a small one, in his success. I took him along with me to Marfa, TX (twice) to examine the work of Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Claes Oldenburg, John Chamberlain, et al. whose work is strewn about the Chihauhan Desert. I invited him to join me on a trip to Indian Wesleyan University where we shared gallery space, gave a joint artist-talk, and critiqued the portfolios of IWU students under the direction of the fantastic Henrik Soderstrom. We’ve also worked alongside one another as colleagues at OBU. Lucas’s way of seeing and mark-making have been an excellent complement to the style and approach of Joshua Brunet, our primary painting instructor. Beyond these professional settings, Lucas and I simply enjoy one another’s company; we discuss art, religion, and politics, and attempt to one-up one another’s sardonic hot-takes.
I’ve watched with awe as Lucas’s career has continued to flourish. His recent project Labor Omnia Vincit will show the world what those of us in Shawnee and Oklahoma have known for some time. We’re witnessing a world-class studio artist in the making. If you get a chance to visit the Oklahoma Capitol rotunda, you should do so. Each piece in the four-part series gives particular focus to a quadrant of the state—northwestern, northeastern, southeastern, and southwestern—in theme and imagery.
It’s been an absolute joy to watch these large scale depictions come to life over the last two years. His pursuit of accuracy in depiction of the subject-matter and his creativity in composition are remarkable; not to mention his highly skilled rendering of figures, patterns, and textures. Lucas has told the story of Oklahoma—with all of its intrigue and complications—in a particularly profound and timeless way. It’s work by an Oklahoman that truly all Oklahomans can be proud of. I know I am.
—CF
Corey and Lucas on their second trip to NYC in 2013. Photo by Molly Harris.
