Shaped by his family history, John Roberts’ paintings and drawings in NOTHING EVER GOES UNSEEN express the extraordinary within everyday environments.
“I remember loved ones that have passed on and the stories and legends that they shared with me. Woven into these stories are threads of my own experiences with the supernatural world. Significant objects from my past act as markers of time and reminders of mortality.”
Beginning with a sketch, Roberts plans his precise compositions with an intricate, painstakingly detailed drawing that serves as the foundation of his paintings. Then he paints in stoic figures, solid wooden homes, and vast blue skies. Tiny gravestones, perfectly pitched roofs, dogs, and recurring characters - daughters, sons, grandmothers - are surrounded by sloping hills and curved lines of fields. Roberts’ nostalgic paintings remind viewers of generations, ways of life, and tranquility that no longer exist. They are warm, quiet, and deceptively complex works.
The Watchers, as much a celebration of matriarchs as it is a nod to famed American Scene painter Carroll Cloar’s The Ghost, features three women peering into a room with a perfectly made bed. The tight blue-and-white bedspread parallels the planked walls while the bedposts and chair mirror lines in the field in the background. Three women look through the window with unmoved expressions. Although an eerie encounter, they’re not there to pass judgment or reprimand, but rather to reassure.
John Roberts was born in Memphis, TN, and grew up in Searcy, AR. He holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from Harding University and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Arkansas. A long-time tombstone etcher, he comes by supernatural encounters honestly. In addition to writing and recording music, he works with an orphanage in Andhra Pradesh, India. He lives on his family farm with his wife and eight children.
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