we are thrilled to be having an exhibition of recent works by atlanta artist john folsom. hidell brooks has a long history of showing folsom's enigmatic mixed media paintings since the late 90's. we have always be drawn to his otherworldly, ethereal works. the meditative quality of his paintings produces a sense of calm and peace. his palette has always been restrictive with limited color range. his degree in cinema and photograph is evident throughout his work. photographs are the starting point to his work transformed through paint and encaustic into a place of imagination which has a mesmerizing effect on the viewer.
““when i begin a piece i select an image that i’ve taken in the field and start playing around in photoshop adding layers of filtration and thinking about the image in combination with wet media. there’s a fair amount of premeditation i start thinking about a piece. once i get the image to a certain point i break the image down into the grid and start printing each tile. now, in the analog days of the darkroom i would cut down a 4x5 negative and then take each section into the enlarger and print that using several sheets of paper on the baseboard and piece it back together. since the grid has followed me through my evolution i break the image down on the computer. when printing is complete the tiles are assembled and adhered to a wooden support with gel medium and then the application of color begins. i essentially brush on a wash of color and then start subtracting areas or adding areas back in to enhance the overall image. once the paint has set up i apply a final varnish of cold wax medium which is an excellent preservative for oil paint and paper.
in my artist statement i say that the work is at the intersection of painting and photography but really it’s always arriving, like it never quite gets there. in that way i guess the work is never truly resolved but i like the ambiguity. sometimes they seem more photographic and sometimes more like paintings, for me they exist in liminal space so that you’re never quite sure what it is…i think this drives some people nuts when they really want artwork to collapse into one medium or another or they desire the rigor of the two to be more pronounced. i’m looking for more of a symbiosis and striving for something that hovers on the edge of perception.””
-john folsom 2017
all new works by john folsom are under his artist tab. john folsom and mary nelson sinclair will be present for their opening this friday march 3rd from 6-8 pm. please call the gallery if you have any questions regarding the two new exhibitions.