On Friday, September 1st from 5:00pm-7:00pm, we are thrilled to host a First Fridays Gallery Opening at The Depot featuring artist John A. Hancock! John is a talented artist who wears many hats, including Studio Artist, Urban & Plein-Air Sketcher, Artist-Teacher/Artist-Mentor, Independent Curator, & Consultant. Join us to view his exhibition opening, “Interrupted Landscapes: Studies & Compositions,” and to enjoy food, refreshments, and community. RSVP for this event on Facebook here.
Below, John shares about his work and journey as an artist.
To see more of John’s work, check out the links below:
Websites:
https://visualasides.wordpress.com/
https://sketchingalways.wordpress.com/
Instagram:
Resume:
Bio:
About the Artist
Born in 1956, I have lived throughout the Southeast and Midwest (from Atlanta to Wichita, from the east coast beaches of Florida to the piedmont and mountains of Virginia). Before moving to Virginia in the fall of 2000, I had begun my career as an artist/professor in eastern North Carolina. Besides making art and teaching, I take an avid interest in walking through old neighborhoods and the countryside. I really enjoy bird watching, reading, and cooking. In my active parenting years, I had a bit less time for bike riding, playing chess, attending concerts and plays, and working on community service projects. Now those are finding their way back into my life.
Professional Background and Service
I began my serious study of art as a teen in adult-professional classes. I later received my B.F.A. in Art from Valdosta State University and later completed an M.F.A. in Painting at East Carolina University.
For more than 35 years I worked in both community arts management and as a full-time college art professor. Even before retiring, I had begun to teach adult sketching classes and workshops both locally and within the region. In the past few years, I have had the privilege to be invited to teach sketching workshops in Chicago and San Francisco and around the country.
About The Art Work
I work outside often, avidly sketching rural and urban spaces. sometimes the image is a wide vista; other times it a view of an intimate detail of nature. Sketching informs my later work in the studio; I also find that it frequently stands on its own as completed works of art.
Most of my artwork has been created by drawing and/or painting on paper or panels using mixed aqueous and dry media. Over the past decade, I expanded my drawing to the use of installation scale, Mylar. Whether working on Mylar, paper, or panels, I seek to do so with a passion for nuanced and powerful mark-making, color, and design.
Recent Exhibitions, Publications, Awards, and Honors
In the past few years (2020-23) I have had several solo exhibitions including one in the Lula B. Rackley Gallery at Barton College (NC) and the Arts Council of the Valley (VA). Other recent exhibitions have included shows at Troy University (AL), Mary Baldwin University (VA), North Carolina Wesleyan College (NC), Elizabethtown College (PA), and the Nichols Gallery (NC).
In the past few years, I have been featured in two publications, 100 Southern Artists, by E. Ashley Rooney, Schiffer Press and The Natural World: A Postmodern Perspective, Mt. Saint Mary’s University.
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there! See the event page and RSVP here.
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
