C.V
Luke B. Watson
Education
2022 M.F.A., Arizona State University, Studio Art: Painting and Drawing
2015 B.F.A., Pratt Institute, Studio Art: Painting and Drawing
2010 Additional study, The Oxbow School, Semester 21
Academic Appointments and Teaching
2022-present Adjunct Faculty, Mesa Community College, Mesa, Arizona
Courses: Color Theory, Two-Dimensional Design, Life Drawing
2019-2022 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Courses: Drawing Foundations, Color Theory
2022 Instructor, Mesa Center for the Arts, Mesa, Arizona
Courses: Beginning Drawing, Intermediate Painting
Solo Exhibitions
2026 Land Valuation, Vision Gallery, Chandler, Arizona
2025 Dust and Loam, Eric Fischl Gallery, Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona
2023 Remembering Places: Plateaus, Ranges, and Basins, Baldwin Gallery, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
2022 Clearcut, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Step Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2017 Anthropocene, Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 Atrium, Executive Towers, Phoenix, Arizona
2024 Southwest Surrealism, Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery, Prescott, Arizona
2024 All Eyes on You II, Eye Lounge, Phoenix, Arizona
2024 BREAKTHROUGH: Arizona's Emerging Visual Voices, Museum of Arizona Artists, Phoenix, Arizona
2024 Prescott Plein Air Festival, Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery, Prescott, Arizona
2024 Mesa Community College Faculty Biennial, MCC Art Gallery, Mesa, Arizona
2023 Line, Shape, Depth, Modified Arts, Phoenix, Arizona
2022 Phoenix Art Now IV, MCC Art Gallery, Mesa, Arizona
2022 Marked, Step Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2022 Reflecting and Recollection, Modified Arts, Phoenix, Arizona
2021 TAG 2021, Step Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2021 Juried Summer Show, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2021 Mirabella Inaugural Show, Mirabella Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
2020 Quarantine, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2019 Everybody, Step Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2019 New Grads, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2015 Color Over the World, East Hall Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
Residencies
2026 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont
2025 Po()inator
Grants and Honors
2025 Arizona Artist Opportunity Grant
2025 Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant Award, Taiwan (awarded; unable to accept)
2021-2022 Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship, Faculty Nomination
2021-2022 Graduate Thesis Award, Arizona State University
2021-2022 Katherine K. Herberger Scholarship / Fellowship Endowment
2021 Wong Foundation Merit Scholarship
2019-2022 Special Talent Award, Arizona State University
2011-2015 Presidential Scholarship Award, Pratt Institute
Selected Publications and Press
2026 Voyage Phoenix, “Meet Artist Luke B Watson”, Voyage Phoenix
2026 Lynn Trimble, "Land Valuation," VAS Visual Arts eNewsletter, March 26, 2026
2025 Robert Pela, "Studio Session," Phoenix Magazine, July 1, 2025
2024 Create! Magazine, Issue 46
2020 Shout Out Phoenix
2018 Shout Out Phoenix
2018 "(In)trepid(ation)," Canvas and Cassette, Issue 3
2017 "Anthropocene," Salt Lake City Weekly, Vol. 34, No. 7
Lectures Panels and Service
2026 Panelist, Prequalified Mural Roster Selection, City of Surprise, Arizona
2023-2026 Volunteer, Student Art Sales and Empty Bowls Fundraisers, Mesa Community College
2023 Guest Lecturer, Tempe Artist Guild
Related Professional Experience
2017-2019 Lead Woodshop Technician, Vintage Industrial Furniture
2017 Foundry Work, Bollinger Atelier
2017 Installation and Preparatory Work, Scottsdale Arts Canal Convergence
2015-2017 Carpentry, Construction, and Remodeling, HSF Construction, Salt Lake City, Utah
2013-2015 Woodshop Student Technician, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
Studio and Technical Expertise
Painting: oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, tempera, direct and indirect painting, glazing, alla prima, plein air, grounds, supports, pigments, and mediums
Printmaking: copperplate intaglio, screen printing, and monoprinting
Fabrication: woodworking, construction, mold making, foundry, ceramics, welding, mechanical prototyping, and studio safety