About
Short Bio
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!
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.
Biography
A 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 Terre 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 (2023) has won another 9 first place ribbons out of 18 shows entered.
Resume / CV
John MacArthur, (b. 1946, Washington DC)
301-509-5111
Selected Exhibitions
2023 Genesis Gallery Rockville MD
2023 Patuxent Wildlife Center Beltsville MD
2023 Oasis Gallery, Westfield Montgomery MD
2023 Beach Kraft Art Gallery Olney MD
2022 Somerset County Museum, Crisfield MD
2022 MAA Trolley Car Museum, Silver Spring, MD
2022 WAP Gallery, Westfield Wheaton, MD
2021 Paint Crisfield, Crisfield MD
2021 All exhibits online or cancelled until December due to Covid-19
2020 All exhibits online or cancelled due to Covid-19
2019 WAP Gallery, Westfield Wheaton MD
2019 Oasis Gallery, Westfield Montgomery MD
2019 Olney Library, Olney MD
2019 Montgomery County Fair Gaithersburg MD
2019 Brookside Gardens, Wheaton MD
2019 Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring MD
2019 Paint Annapolis, Annapolis MD
2019 Paint Ellicott City, Ellicott City MD
2019 Paint Crisfield, Crisfield MD
Selected Shows
2023 Chevy Chase Art Walk Chevy Chase DC
2023 Rockville Art League Rockville, MD
2023 Montgomery Art Association Winter Show, Rockville MD
2023 Solo Show BeachKraft Gallery Wheaton, MD
2022 Chevy Chase Art League, Chevy Chase, MD
2021 Rockville Art League Members Show, Rockville, MD
2021 Art Rave Reeves Center, Washington DC
2020 Rockville Art League Members Show, Rockville MD
2020 MAA Members Show, Rockville MD
2019 MAA Artist & Makers Rockville MD
2019 OAA Annual Kentlands Mansion MD
2019 Maryland Federation of Art Lowe House Exhibit Annapolis MD
2019 MAA Labor Day Show Kensington MD
2019 MAA Annual Oasis Westfield Montgomery MD
2019 Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD
Bibliography
2003 Preakness Stakes Promotional Art
2002 Preakness Stakes Promotional Art
2000 MCPS Children in the Arts program art
1990 Music and more Ingram Entertainment monthly publication
1981 Getting to Zero Providence Hospital work book
Collections
Works held in private collections in the United States, South American and Europe
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