John Winslow and his Work

What is John Winslow telling us? He is telling us he loves to paint. He loves the feel of brushes with oil being put on the canvas. He is telling us about himself and his place in the contemporary art world where painting is considered a thing of the past. For him, painting is alive and well and has moved to an altogether new dimension. He is talking to us about figuration, abstraction, balance, composition and color. Yet his images remain recognizable. They move together in an abstract pattern. Once more his figures jump in space, float through air where they know no gravity. They leap off the canvas in defiance of the flat painted surface. In this manner Winslow tells us about his thoughts, in a sense, everyman’s thoughts, his relationships with his fellow mankind. And he is always included in his paintings as a sort of icon, watching, wondering, questioning, and thinking. His best works are created in a large format – it is as if he needs to spread his wings and fly with all those images in his head. He is inviting us, the viewers, to understand the wonder and beauty in life and to join in his ride through his great mixing bowl of thoughts, images, color and life. To be recognized as an important artist of substance and maturity one must study, practice, and practice some more while always remaining focused on pushing the work being created to an ever higher level. Winslow has certainly done this, he has paid his dues. He has remained steadfastly consistent in this endeavor since receiving his MA in painting from Yale University over fifty years ago. He has done little to promote himself but rather applied all his energies, skill, and thorough knowledge of the art masters that have come before to continue in this great tradition of painting. Back