MATTHEW CRAVEN

David Shelton Gallery

Matthew Craven was the focus of a 2022/2023 exhibition at the David Shelton Gallery titled MULTI~CURSAL , which featured new collage works on paper. Craven has long been interested in the universality of symbols and patterns referencing textiles, painted pottery and mosaics from across the world. Newfound elements have emerged, extracted from botanical encyclopedias and Historical textbooks. Focusing entirely on vintage collage elements, the large pieces in this exhibition are bursting with a dizzying array of patterns and colors and entirely composed of found materials, some over 50 years old. All of the work is composed on the reverse sides of vintage B-movie posters, forming each work’s foundation–patinaed, browned, stained or torn from a previous life. Where previously the artist drew inspiration from travel and in-person visits to book shops across the country, strict lockdown orders and a relocation have turned his references inward.

Craven received his MFA from School of Visual Arts in New York and his BFA from Michigan State University. He has had exhibited widely in the United States and abroad, including solo shows at David Shelton Gallery.

Now living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Craven’s life has become connected to his partner’s career as a florist. Going on flower walks became a needed routine during the pandemic. Slowly, the imagery from the walks became the focal point of this new body of work. The laborious and time-consuming process of these creations requires slowing down, it’s a form of meditation.

John Clement Gallery Sonja Roesch

The Gallery Sonja Roesch presented renowned sculptor John Clement’s 4th solo exhibition at the gallery. The show titled John Clement - Eye of The Storm was a mind-bending adventure, a memorable art experience for people of all ages. John Clement effortlessly cuts, bends, joins, and welds steel and aluminum pipes into flowing, interconnecting forms. Clement transforms these industrial materials into monumental line drawings that swirl through time and space. The sculptures appear to defy gravity as they twist and turn in the air. Endlessly devoted to the geometry of the arc, John Clement refines cold steel into graceful, vibrant, curling sculptures with power and elegance.

Referencing time and space, John Clement’s sculptures are painted in vibrant, primary colors creating a child-like playfulness in a world filled with imagination, hope and potential. Despite the large scale and solidity of his medium, Clement’s work celebrates the joy of movement and the rediscovery of space while altering our view of the surrounding landscape.

A student of acclaimed public art sculptors Mark Di Suvero and John Henry, John Clement’s works are permanently displayed across the globe and are on view in North America, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Korea

John Clement lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Jean and children, Kini and Duke. The love and support he receives from his family is a major force in his creativity.