John
is a member of the "Ohio Plein Air Society"
“I
am attracted to the alley and not the boulevard.
I get excited with structures that are worn as opposed to pristine. When
painting people, I am attracted to the dancer, the bartender, the truck driver
and so on.”
My
mother told me when I was 4 years old, my first drawing was of a bucket full of
bubbles from the soap she used to scrub the floor. I wish I still had the
drawing.
As
a young boy I always found something to draw. While in public school, art was my
favorite subject. Most of my study halls were spent in the art room. I started
oil painting when I was fourteen. I received a one year scholarship to the
Columbus College of Art & Design in 1969 and majored in Industrial Design.
After spending 2 and a half years there, I decided I made a mistake and
chose to take some time off. I went
to work for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
My sabbatical lasted 29 years in an area totally unrelated to art. But I
always drew and painted but never as much as I wanted.
Two
years before retiring, I found a small gathering of artists in Westerville and
joined them. I brushed up on what I had forgotten from college and fell in love
all over again with painting.
Since
1999, I have more than tripled the number of canvases I had completed in
the past.
I
exhibit my work through two Central Ohio Art Leagues. I recently started a
watercolor class to expand myself in different mediums.
“I
like to keep my paintings loose and to use bold colors. The faster I can finish
a painting the better I feel. Unlike oils, acrylic paints offer speed and I try
to take advantage of it. I consider myself an expressionist with a sense of
realism.”
“I
paint structures and landscapes in small towns, mostly in Ohio. I also paint
non-commissioned portraits and figures. Soon I will direct my attention to
figures dancing. I want to capture the fluid movements in ballet and the
staccato steps of the jazz dancer.”
“Unlike
other artists who choose to stick to a theme, I prefer to remain flexible by
leaving the subject matter wide I want to keep surprising myself and my
audience.”
the artist to discuss or purchase
