EXPLORING INTUITION
Solo Exhibition by JOHN KING
February 1st - 24th, 2018
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 1st 6:30 - 9:30 pm.
I called this show ‘Exploring Intuition’ mainly to recognize the important role that intuition continues to play in my painting process. The show includes seven acrylic paintings on paper from 1982 and nine acrylic paintings on canvas from 2017. The paper-works painted 35-years ago and the 2017 canvases are in large measure the result of exploring and trusting my intuition. As a painter, I’ve learned to let my intuition or subconscious be the driver and to tell my critical/analytical-self to take a back seat, at least until the painting is nearly finished. I’ve always loved paint as a medium for sharing feelings and ideas that I can only express visually. The studio is where I can use my intuition freely and explore its limitations. It’s a place where I’m frequently rewarded by feeling more and thinking less. Not knowing where the painting process will lead me is at the same time fascinating, confusing, frustrating and thrilling. With each painting my goal is to discover an expressive image that sustains my interest and feels like it transcends the paint. The subject of my paintings is basically the character of the lines, shapes, and colors, as well as any allusions or references experienced by a viewer. For years, I’ve been inspired by the paintings of Spanish artist Joan Miró, American artist Robert Motherwell and Asian calligraphy. Motherwell spoke for me when he said “…knowledge never solves a picture; it depends on feeling. …In the greatest painting, the painter communes with himself. Paint is his thought’s medium.”
