Beach Oil on Canvas 46 x 48 inches
I’ve been thinking about John Evans painting ever since I saw his show at the Sue Greenwood Fine Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA this past May. His quasi-abstract landscapes – especially the beach scenes, show great sensitivity in translating the observed world’s light and space into the poetics of 2D language. These are truly amazing paintings.
I noticed an announcement in the September American Artist they planned an article on his work in the next months issue so I thought this would be a good time to show his work here.
Very Quiet 60 x 48 inches
John Evans has been painting and showing his work since the 70’s and had studied at Boston University for his BFA and MFA studying under Philip Guston and James Weeks. James Weeks, who was part of the movement of Bay Area Figurative School painters such as Richard Diebenkorn and other show influence in the lyrical and painterly qualities of John’s work.
Fields by the River 50 x 48 inches
His large paintings may have been germinated by small oil stick paintings done on site at various locations, many near the Boston area such as Plum Island and Truro. I particularly was struck by how fresh and right the light and atmosphere felt in the beach scenes- they didn’t have a dryness you sometimes see in big studio recreations of life. Another joy of these paintings is the richly textured patina created from countless revisions to eventually arrive at what he sees as the truest response and greatest visual power.
Small BeachPainting (Oil Stick painting?) 10 x 8 inches
Sun Moon with Three Boats 50 x 48 inches
There are some wonderful essays about his work that are worth the read, I particularly enjoyed the Painting is an act of faith, Clifford Davis article. John sent me some jpegs of a few of his most recent paintings that I show below. I’m not sure of the exact dates.
You can see many more paintings on his website at evansartstudio.com as well as his wife Carolyn Evans wonderful paintings.
John Evans shows at the Gallery Henoch in New York as well as the Sue Greenwood Fine Gallery in Laguna Beach. He also has his paintings in the collections of major musuems such as National Museum of American Art and Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA and the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA
California Beach 72 x 72 inches
Six Boats at Rest 60 x 48 inches
Painting Perceptions was started in 2009 by Larry Groff to promote the ideas, practice and experience of painters working from observation in a modernist vein from around the world through interviews, essays, videos and community. It later evolved to include imagination-based and abstract painting as well.
John Evans can do a great deal with the wet sand left behind the receding tides. He’s quite good at finding surprising but believable color for these areas. It breathes new life into the old tradition of beach-scene paintings.
We have found that John Evans resonates with all who discover these amazing works of art.
I get so much pleasure out of watching art collectors stand before his paintings in awe, so taken in at what he has created. Thank you again for visiting our gallery. Kind regards,
Sue Greenwood
John this is of no surprise to all of us who have watched you reach your maturity with these amazing paintings. The loneliness and quiet mood are remarkable.
Congratulations on this article
just quite beautiful the large
negative spaces and human scale speak to us of our own small but precious lives, how vast and yet how very short and brief our lives are. You are a poets poet, and you have still much to say. kate
I have been a John Evans fan since I saw his work for the very first time. There is something so incredibly calming and comforting about his images. His paintings make me really want to be “there”…
Sue,Kathleen and Kathy, Thanks for your thoughts here. I am happy to help more people to be exposed to his work.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sara
http://paintingdrawing.net
I arrived on your “shores” from Bob LaFond’s blog referral — wonderful works filled with a lyrical lightness and scope. Many thanks for this article.
I came across some of John’s work in a November ’09 issue of American Artist, and I fell in love with his style, colors, & perspectives. Thank you, John, for inspiring me.