john macarthur
A child prodigy. At the age of four he began wielding a brush. He began making pigment at six. Now, seven decades later, he continues to create amazing art!
MessageA child prodigy. At the age of four he began wielding a brush. A tragic accident at home left him confined to a stroller while he rehabilitated. Unable to run and play, he began drawing and coloring on newsprint paper his father brought home from work. As soon as he could walk, he was outside mixing colors and making paint. He began experimenting with natural objects creating pigment. He learned to draw with Jon Gnagy and Nicolaides. As an young teen, one of his first portraits was admired by President Kennedy. Before he reached the age of twenty, he became one of the infamous "Artists of Jackson Square" in New Orleans. Then, as with most child prodigies, he vanished from the art scene.
It would be almost 25 years before he appeared again. He began painting and selling art again. Once again, his work was sought after. The Governor of Maryland's wife collected a painting at a show in The Governor's Mansion in Annapolis. Then, the Maryland Jockey Club commissioned him to do the promotional artwork for the 2002 and 2003 Preakness Stakes. He created artwork for the Marriot Corporation, Ingram Entertainment, Providence Hospital, America On Line (AOL), First American, the Spy Museum and several other businesses large and small.
In the midst of this commercial revival, he opened MacArthur Studio. The first location was in Laurel, Md. He then moved to Aspen Hill, Md before finally moving to his current location in Rockville Maryland. His commercial work came to an end and his art became the talk of the town. The last ten years have been yet another awakening as he has entered shows and events throughout the state. The walls of his studio now feature over 20 first place ribbons awarded by various judges in shows he has entered.
Beginning in 2016, he began annual trips to Europe and visited France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. His passion was rejuvenated. He traveled from Paris to Aix, from Provence to Rome, Cinque Terra to Borano, Bruges to Amsterdam, His art took on a new zest and once again the world is discovering John MacArthur.
He continues to remain active and just this year (2022) has won another 9 first place ribbons out of 18 shows entered.
Statement
Art is not subjective nor objective. Art truly is communication. We stand before the images. We know the artist' name, but the way we see the pictures is never quite the same. By the time most of us are considered adults, we have been exposed to the work of a handful of great artists.
VanGogh's "Starry Night", Monet's "Waterlillies", Warhol's "Campbell soup cans" , Munch's "Scream" and Picasso's "Hand with Bouquet" have been displayed thousands of times. Ask any two people to write down what they see in any of them and their answers will never be exactly the same.
OK, then maybe perception is the communication of art. Perception is oft described as reality with the caveat, everyone's personal perception is their personal reality.
The artist really doesn't want the audience to be strangled by "in" terms or some obtuse explanation of their work. Our wish is that you pause, ponder and remember. We share what we see in hopes that you will see something pleasing in our vision.
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