Two Retrospectives: Jack Stratton by GreenHill

JACK STRATTON

The Dark Globe, 2009, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As a champion for North Carolina art for nearly fifty years, GreenHill actively advances artists’ careers at all stages of their development. Rarely does our legacy connect as closely as it does with the creative achievements of Jack Stratton. From his beginnings at UNC-Greensboro in the 1970s until now, Stratton’s flights of imagination and expressionist painting have delighted art lovers. With this luminous body of work, it’s our privilege to present a comprehensive view of Stratton’s development and celebrate his unique approach to watercolors, oil painting, and experiments in other media. Without the generosity of North Carolina collectors and the active engagement of Jack Stratton and his wife, Sara Jane Mann, we could not have assembled this vibrant body of work. We are particularly thankful to longtime friend of GreenHill, Sally Cone, fellow artist Roy Nydorf, and Terry Hammond for lending us rarely seen works for the exhibition, some of which date back to the early 1980s. The Gallucci Creative Fund, Mercedes Benz of Greensboro, and members across provided vital support for this retrospective and a concurrent exhibition Greensboro painter, Rebecca Fagg. We are indebted to our valued sponsors and offer thanks to Sally Cone and Mary Magrinat who made this catalog possible with their contributions.

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Our team at GreenHill deserves recognition for their enduring commitment to our vital mission. Chief among them, Curator Edie Carpenter organized a stunning gallery installation in partnership with Jack Stratton and Rebecca Fagg. She was ably assisted by Registrar Becca Mortensen who also designed this catalog. We hope you’ll peruse the works so artfully rendered here time and time again. Enjoy! Barbara D. Richter Executive Director and CEO

FIRE FLY Jack Stratton’s paintings glow with their own lifeforce. This magical effect requires one part technical alchemy and two parts soul. Stratton is all about grappling with the logistics of art making but he also dives deep into the poetry and mystery of narrative. Beauty, humor, and sometimes even harsh realities are suffused with color and light in his paintings. Stratton lights these scenes in a phenomenological way. Campfires, celestial light, electric lights are all built with layers of pure, transparent color. Psychological depth meets visual vibration as these transparent jewel tones overlap, creating fresh hues. Vermeer, among others, worked this way. Putting into practice time honored approaches, Stratton walks a highwire between George de la Tour’s candlelight and the technicolor of cartoon animation. In “Fire Fly” (Lightning Bugs), Stratton shows a pair of hands gently cupping a lightning bug. Yellow light from the insect is refracted onto the palms of the hands. In the background, a Rousseau-like depiction of foliage in cool dark tones sits beneath a narrow band of dusky orange sky. Richly painted on burlap, “Lets See Some ID”, is a humorous take on being carded outside a darkened nightclub. The shadowy bouncer’s flashlight aggressively creates a triangle of light and illuminates a nervous would-be reveler searching for ID. Deep shadows are alive, surrounded with blasts of bright color. There is a relatable kind of nervous excitement in this scene. 4

Fire Fly (Lightning Bugs), 2020, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

“The Ascension of the Air Guitarist” turns religious art on its head with a young man rising like a Chagall figure from above an outdoor concert scene. This glowing, raptured, ax shredder, bent over his imaginary guitar, has transcended the unwitting crowd and band going about their noisy business below. Mischief and imagination come into play in “The Big Snore”. Painted on heavy upholstery fabric, the picture was inspired by a beach trip with his family. The artist jokes that they all snore like a bunch of bears. A group of toxic green figures doze against a vermillion background. Perspective is skewed, creating a floating feeling that taps into the mystery of sleep. Snores are hilariously represented by empty cartoon talk bubbles. In a much more serious turn, “The Lump” shows a close cropped image of Stratton’s wife Sara Jane doing a self-examination on her breast. Cropped in the style of Expressionst art, this beautiful painting invites us into an emotionally complex glimpse into an unwelcome discovery. Stratton has spent a lifetime immersed in art. As a student, teacher, preparator, poet, and a musician, he has passed on hardwon lessons to all comers with a generosity of spirit. To be able to take a two dimensional image and infuse life’s blood into it is rare enough. Stratton, like his predecessors David Parks, Red Grooms, and Piero della Francesca has the wonderous ability to see simplicity in complexity and wonder in the mundane. Stratton once told me that he drew as a child in order to realize his fantasies. That yearning from the heart of a little child has allowed Stratton, ever enthusiastic, inquisitive, and thoughtful, to share his mastery with us. Keith Buckner Artist and Musician 5

CURATOR’S INTRODUCTION Two Retrospectives: Jack Stratton (July 16 - Nov 7, 2020) comprises works in printmaking, watercolor, drawing, and painting produced over five decades. As fellow artist and musician Keith Buckner has eloquently written, Jack Stratton is a consummate storyteller. The artist had already begun his exploration of the possibilities of narration in painting while still a student in the 1970s in the BFA program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Stratton was immediately attracted to figurative art forms rather that the Minimalism of visiting artists such as Sol Lewitt and the formidable abstract works in the Weatherspoon’s collection. Figure studies with Peter Agostini and Andrew Martin solidified Stratton’s natural gifts and early interest in representation. Stratton credits Robert Gerhardt’s color theory class with giving him a deep understanding of the psychological impact of color. One of the earliest paintings in the Kathleen/Pop, 1977, guoache on 300lb watercolor paper, 30 1/2 x 23 inches exhibition, the large gouache on watercolor paper entitled “Kathleen/Pop” from 1977, embodies many of the ideas the young artist was exploring at this period. The attractive nude woman caught in the act of disrobing is seated close to the viewer yet separated by the rungs of a red wooden chair in the foreground. She holds a playing card behind her back, and the scene evokes early 17th century genre paintings of card players in “merry company.” The sitter appears to be turning to the viewer as if about to speak and radiates gaiety and liveliness. Stratton’s use of vibrant non-objective color, informalities in his handling of perspective of the seated figure, and ability to set in motion a story 6

that immediately draws the viewer in, are all pictorial strategies he continues to develop. During the 1980s Stratton was closely associated with fellow painter Lucy Spencer and produced large-scale, broadly painted works including a striking painting of Spencer surrounded by her dogs. The artist’s portrayal of leisure activities such as swimming at a rock quarry or scuba diving reveal his prowess in enlisting the viewer in these experiences through unusual points of view, with figures caught in midair or diving deep below the sea’s surface in “Down on the Wreck” (1987). A large oil painting from the early 1990s entitled “The Bibliophile” (1992) portrays the artist working at his student job in the stacks of the Jackson Library. Disembodied hands rise above the reader’s desk and thumb through the volumes. Over the course of his career, Stratton has “tipped his hat” to writers as well as painters. Down on the Wreck, 1987, oil on canvas, 72 x 36 inches, Literary works often are tinder for paintings such as the recent collection of Roy Nydorf and Terry Hammond “Paola and Francesca in Hell” (2020), based on a passage in Dante’s Inferno from The Divine Comedy. Stratton was commissioned to create several works based on Old Testament texts and in 1992 painted the monumental “Adam’s Task: The Naming of the Animals” that rather than concentrating on the figure of Adam, highlights his hands reaching out to the various animal species. After first exhibiting in 1978 at the Green Hill Art Gallery as it was then called, in summer 2000 Stratton was showcased in Series II of The Painters Series. In his review of the exhibition Tom Patterson noted The Dark Globe, 2009, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

Stratton’s use of non-traditional materials with works on “surfaces that include canvas, muslin, jute, wood and upholstery fabric.” Early in his career, Stratton practiced bookbinding and studied with master binder Monique Lallier before devoting himself to painting. Stratton’s introduction of thought bubbles when portraying figures and use of sudden perspective and scale shifts to create layered storytelling, may be compared to Lallier’s innovative book design motifs of “cutouts, reveals and popups.” (moniquelallier.com) A fanciful example of this is the vignette of Apollo’s chariot traversing the heavens, quoted from a painting by Poussin. The image Pandora’s Chocolate Box, 2008, acrylic on jute on panel, 35 x 27 inches emerges from the reader’s head in “The Dark Globe” (2009). “Pandora’s Chocolate Box” (2008), with co-workers gathered around a large open box of chocolates, appears to be a metaphor for the infinite possibilities unleashed by the imagination. Recent works depicting visitors at the zoo, observing a baby baboon, or the artist as a child chasing “fogger trucks” through the fields are painted with a finer facture than Stratton’s large early works. He has not ceased to seek new ways of relaying his vision of the world Chimps Chocolate (The Baby), Box,2014, 2008, through painting in expansive works that awaken the viewer acrylicPandora’s oil onon jute canvas, on panel, 24 x 35 24xinches 27 inches to a sense of discovery. Edie Carpenter Director, Curatorial and Artistic Programs 8

The Bibliophile, 1992 oil and wax emulsion on canvas 48 x 40 inches collection of David Milsaps 9

Kathleen/Pop, 1977 guoache on 300lb watercolor paper 30 1/2 x 23 inches 10

Hats and Hooters, 1980 oil on canvas 65 x 36 inches collection of Marianne Veto 11

Swimming, Thinking, 1981 oil on canvas 64 x 58 inches collection of Clara & Pat Kelly 12

(Plunge) At the Rock Quarry, 1983 oil on canvas 64 x 58 inches collection of Lucy Spencer 13

Mid-Winter Night, 1986 oil on canvas 70 x 40 inches anonymous collection, Atlanta GA 14

Down on the Wreck, 1987 oil on canvas 72 x 36 inches collection of Roy Nydorf and Terry Hammond 15

The Cure of Folly (Operation for the Removal of a Stone), 1989 oil with wax emulsion on canvas 72 x 34 inches collection of Sara Jane Mann 16

Nut Rocks the Boat, 1990 oil with wax emulsion on canvas 36 x 48 inches

Adam’s Task: The Naming of the Animals, 1992 oil and wax emulsion on canvas 60 x 108 inches collection of Sally Cone 19

Talking to the Ghost, 2001 acrylic on canvas 20 x 16 inches collection of Sara Jane Mann 20

Praying Head (Psalm 90), 2000 acrylic on upholstery fabric on panel 30 x 25 1/4 inches collection of Peggy Stratton 21

Tater Heads, 1995 oil on canvas 24 x 20 inches collection of Sunshine and Jeremy Cavin 22

Painting Party in W-S, 1995 oil on canvas 14 x 11 inches 23

River of Memory, 2003 oil and wax emulsion on canvas 30 x 44 inches collection of Tommy Stratton

Luna Moths, 2003 oil on canvas 12 x 11 inches collection of Ron Whitley

Roy’s Bonfire (The Smaller Bonfire), 2008 oil on canvas 12 x 10 inches

Pandora’s Chocolate Box, 2008 acrylic on jute on panel 35 x 27 inches 27

Climbing Blacksnake, 2010 acrylic on canvas 22 x 18 inches collection of Sara Jane Mann 28

Cats on Books, 2011 oil on canvas 22 x 28 inches collection of Jackson Library, UNCG

The Lump, 2011 oil on canvas 20 x 16 inches

Fogger Truck II, 2014 oil on canvas 30 x 40 inches

Summer Buzz, 2015 oil on canvas 32 1/8 x 42 1/4 inches

Honey Bear, 2017 watercolor 12 x 9 inches collection of Sally Cone

Brown Mountain Lights, 2017 oil on canvas 12 x 16 inches collection of Laurie Cone

Robert as Icarus Ascending, 2019 oil on canvas 20 x 20 inches collection of Ann Walker 35

Hypnopompic Cavalcade, 2020 oil on canvas 24 x 36 inches collection of Donna and Mark Shapiro

Fire Fly (Lightning Bugs), 2020 acrylic on canvas 20 x 20 inches

ARTIST’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am so grateful for the opportunity of a retrospective exhibition representing over forty-five years of my painting practice. Thank you to the GreenHill Center for NC Art. Thank you to Barbara Richter, GreenHill’s director. A special thank you to Edie Carpenter for your curatorial vision, patience and belief in my work. Thank you to Becca Mortensen for your organizational and design skills. Thank you to Sara Jane Mann, my wife, for your support and inspiration. Thank you also for doing the photography for this catalog. Thank you to my friend and colleague, Keith Buckner for your articulate description of my work and practice in this catalog. A special thank you to Sally Cone and to Jim Gallucci for your continued support, encouragement and sponsorship.

Jack in his Studio, photo by Sara Jane Mann

Thank you to the lenders of work in the exhibition. And thank you to my teachers (here and gone) and to my colleagues (who are also my teachers): Martha Bruton, Tim Murray, Bert Carpenter, Peter Agostini, Andrew Martin, Walter Barker, Bob Gerhardt, Susan Barksdale, Linda Tavernise, Roy Nydorf, Lucy Spencer, Keith Buckner, Vito Ciccone, Clara Kelly, Don Morgan, Michael Northuis, and David Thomas.

Jack Stratton

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Jack Stratton received his BFA in Painting at UNCG in 1977. Initially, he joined the UNCG library staff full-time as a bookbinder. From the library, Stratton moved to the Weatherspoon Art Museum where he worked for 20 years as a preparator. He currently paints in his Greensboro studio and teaches drawing and watercolor painting at the Art Alliance, an organization sponsored by the City of Greensboro. He also teaches drawing classes at the Hirsch Wellness Network in Greensboro and works as a freelance preparator, curator, art handler and lighting consultant. Solo shows include Founders Hall, Guilford College; Greensboro EUC Gallery; and University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Group exhibitions include the North Carolina Museum of Art; Mattress Group, Atlanta; 60 Broadway Gallery, New York City; and GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art.

LENDERS Dr. Tony Lamair Burks II and Thandiwe DeShazon

Lucy Spencer

Sally B. Cone

Jack Stratton

Vito Ciccone

Peggy M. Stratton

Terry Hammond and Roy Nydorf

Tommy Stratton

Jackson Library, UNCG

Susan Taaffe and Hank Rudisill

Clara and Pat Kelly

David R. Thomas

Sara Jane Mann

Marianne Veto

Emmy Mills and Wayne Price

Ann Walker

David Milsaps

Lisa and Tom Woods

Michael and Rebecca Northuis

Ron Whitley

ABOUT GREENHILL CENTER FOR NORTH CAROLINA ART GreenHill engages a diverse community of artists, adults and children through dynamic statewide exhibitions and educational programs while providing a platform for exploration and investment in art. As a gateway to North Carolina’s creative community, GreenHill is the only organization dedicated exclusively to presenting and promoting the contemporary visual art and artists of NC. Inspired by a vision of cultural equity and inclusion, GreenHill’s wide-ranging initiatives build empathy and connection through expressive, innovative and thought-provoking art. For more information, visit www.GreenHillNC.org.

This catalog accompanies the REBECCA FAGG + JACK STRATTON: TWO RETROSPECTIVES exhibition at GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro, July 16 - November 7, 2021.

Sales inquiries welcome in person and by phone. Contact Edie Carpenter at 336–333–7460 ext 2 or by email at Edie.Carpenter@GreenHillNC.org REBECCA FAGG + JACK STRATTON: TWO RETROSPECTIVES is organized by GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art in partnership with Rebecca Fagg and Jack Stratton and curated by Edie Carpenter. The exhibition is supported by The Gallucci Creative Fund and Mercedes Benz of Greensboro. Sally Cone and Mary Magrinat sponsored the retrospectives catalogs.

Mercedes-Benz of Greensboro GreenHill extends special thanks to donors, board leaders and statewide members for their enduring commitment.

All artwork © the Artist © 2021 GreenHill All rights reserved. This publication is protected by copyright. No part of this publication may be repoduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Photography and Photo Editing by Sara Jane Mann Cover and Book Design: Becca Mortensen, Curatorial Assistant & Registrar, GreenHill GreenHill 200 North Davie Street, Box No.4 Greensboro, NC 27401 www.greenhillnc.org (336) 333-7460