1961 born Meridianville, Alabama, lives and works in New York

American artist Verne Dawson's interest in the past is an effort to show the continuity of ancient - even prehistoric - culture in the present, often revealed in symbols and tales relating to the telling of time, and a common use of numbers in attributes of myth and popular culture, holidays and festivals. In looking back to the beginnings of human evolution, Dawson works to create an understanding of the present and possible insights into the future. Frequently described in terms reserved for Folk or Outsider Art, Dawson's painting style is deceptively simple, built up of softly brushed surfaces. Often, his paintings are spacious, fantastic landscapes rendered in lush greens and blues, dominated by gigantic earthworks, large-scale architectural structures or natural formations. Dotted throughout are scenes of people carrying out daily activities, engaged in pagan-like rituals or carnival feats.