JOHN TOMLINSON

The Dark Storms series was produced from an argument between me and myself in the interstice of drawing from nature or observed reality to my current drawings on expanded themes that I describe as Modes of Escape (1998-99s), The Misery of Men (2015), Rage::Hope (2015), Night Watch (2017), Dark Beauty (2018-20) and Come Close (2021).

The earlier part of the argument was whether my authenticity as an artist rested on drawing from observation, a practice that was my training, teaching and history .... and preference.

That argument evolved into whether my authenticity was to be an expression of my memory, deep feelings and cultural observations renewed by expressive drawing on a larger scale to take on new meaning.  The latter argument prevailed.

Drawing from my heart, gut and memory became vital to me for seeing the world in my own way, and inspired the invention of rich surfaces integral to my narrative.

John Tomlinson, 2012 - 2021