John W Carlson

Born in Ashtabula, OH, Carlson now resides in Bay Village, OH. (just outside of Cleveland) with his wife and fellow artist Erin Giddings. Always artistically gifted, John began his career as an artist by attending Cleveland's Cooper School of Art. Inspired by the works of Egon Schiele, Franz Kline, Edward Hopper and Lucien Freud, John strives to find a balance between expressive drawings and boldly executed paintings. John often combines traditional oils with alkalids, charcoal and graphite. Working mostly on large canvases, he freely applies his medium without sacrificing subtle emotional details. This method allows him to control the negative space, which is vital to the ambiguity that runs through all of the work. What appears to be a gentle gesture to some can appear violent or passionate to others. Recently John was juried into the coveted Midyear Show at the Butler Institute of American Art (juror: George Adams) and invited to participate in the Florence Biennale by the Internal Committee of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art for 2009 at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence Italy. John was also nominated for the Annual Cleveland Arts Prize in 2009. In 2004 John was honored by having his charcoal drawing "viewpoint" added to the permanent collection of the Erie Art Museum.