John Carlson

I began drawing as a young child and was always encouraged by my parents to pursue my passion for art. At the age of thirteen, I discovered Van Gogh and was mesmerized by the deep emotional impact of his work. So I began to paint..
I am pretty much self taught and have experimented with many types of media and processes; painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography. I have always been interested in the human figure and how through gesture, expression but most importantly emotion, a story can be told that the viewer can relate to.

My mother would take me to Mc Donalds to ‘people watch’ as she called it. I would see little dramas, movements and gestures. These resonated with me and became the well from which I began to pull my imagery. I was drawing and painting constantly. People I knew, people I didn’t, in airports, restaurants and my studio, everywhere.

I studied art history and was building a body of work. I began to enter juried shows and approach galleries for representation. In 2010 my son Ryan, died at the age of 26 from a drug overdose. My work took on a deeper and more somber tone in theme and content. I chose black and white for my palette and began exploring the themes of time, memory, dreams and...

Solo Exhibitons
Paintings and Drawings by John W. Carlson, The Massillon Museum, Massillon, OH, May 2017

Solo Show: John W. Carlson, Rotten Meat Gallery, Cleveland, OH, October 2013

Negative Space – THE ART OF JOHN W. CARLSON, BAYarts, Bay Village, OH, June 2013

JOHN W. CARLSON Fine Art 2000 – 2009, Case Western University Mandel School of Applied Sciences (MSASS) Gallery, Cleveland, OH, October 2008 – January 2009

DANCERS BY JOHN W. CARLSON, The Art Gallery, Willoughby, OH, July 2008

SHADOW and SUBSTANCE: Recent works by John W. Carlson, Chicago Matrix Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL, May 2007

Focus Exhibitions
The Carlson/Standley Experience, Field Projects, New York, NY, February 2019

University Hospitals Juried Show, Trudy Weisenberger Gallery, January 2019

The NewNow, Tri-C Gallery East, Cleveland, OH, September 2018

CAN Triennial, W 78th Street Studios, Cleveland, OH, July 2018

The Peer Show, Cleveland Print Room, Cleveland, OH, June 2018

Don't Be Still, HEDGE Gallery, Cleveland, OH, April 2018

DRAWN TOGETHER- Emotional Intelligence and the Vernacular of the Heart, HEIGHTSARTS, Cleveland Heights, OH, March 2018

PRESENCE AND PROJECTION, BAYarts, Bay Village, OH, January 2017

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