Wed 9/14 @ 5:30-7:30PM
Fri 9/16 @ 5-8PM
The local visual arts community, as well as his expansive circle of friends, were shocked and grieved when painter John W. Carlson passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in December 2020. Known for his wide range of interests and lively conversation, getting together with John again was high on a lot of people’s list of post-pandemic priorities. He left a big hole in his expansive circle of friends and acquaintances.
The final show, Blues, at HEDGE Gallery before it was shut down by COVID featured paintings by Carlson and photos by his partner Shari Wilkes inspired by drives they took through the deep south. The gallery says it had the largest attendance numbers it ever had for the opening reception and artist talk, the latter featuring musical performances by Carlson and a gospel choir led by Oberlin’s Jessie Reeder.
Now HEDGE Gallery, along with ARTneo, both located at 78th Street Studios, are presenting John W. Carlson – A Retrospective, opens Friday September 16, with a preview Wednesday September 14. It will include paintings, drawing and prints from his entire career, some of it completely in the year before he died and never publicly exhibited, as well as work spanning 1990- 2020, including early landscape paintings, his black-and- white figure series, and work from both his Woman and Blues.
“He found a balance between expressive drawings and boldly executed paintings, combining oils, charcoal and graphite,” says the gallery of Carlson’s work. “The human figure permeated most of Carlson’s work, exploring themes such as family, gender, and relationships. He often sketched from life, capturing the form with energetic lines. His sketches were translated into his distinguished painting style, illustrating passionate emotions through thick, layered brushwork and vigorous mark making.”
The show will be on view through Thursday November 4.
hedgeartgallery.com/exhibitions