Current Exhibits
Landscapes, Cityscapes, and Peoplescapes
A Solo Show featuring John Gosling
March 1 - April 29, 2024
ARTIST TALK
John will be in the studio 2-4 pm, March 24 to talk about his show and process.
John Gosling lives and works in Old Town Alexandria and finds his inspiration in the region’s history, its architecture, and the people who populated it. Most of his artwork is figurative and can range from human figures in a variety of historic and social contexts (what he calls ‘Peoplescapes’, or group portraits, focusing on the human condition), to landscapes and townscapes. His work is about the subject matter, and not so much about the process, but he does appreciate the handmade quality of relief printing and uses this medium as his means of artistic expression. He is attracted to the chiaroscuro, the light-dark effect that linocuts and woodcuts can produce. The virtue of relief printing is that you can lay down solid fields of color, achieving drama and contrast. According to John, “I see my prints as distillations, almost abstractions, where extraneous elements are understated, and a more immediate visual connection can be made. It is this minimalist aspect of relief printing that I find empowering.”
Mr. Gosling was born and raised in London and received his training as an architect there, and for many years had a professional career as an architect-urban planner specializing in urban revitalization in major US cities and abroad. An architect always works in a world of constraints; other peoples’ money; by-laws; building codes; client groups; public officials; contractors; subcontractors and so on. It’s a team effort and hard to claim sole ownership of one’s work, which is why he finds creative release in art, where you are solely responsible for the impact of your work.
Explore & Experience
Explore & Experience showcases works by all of the Printmakers Inc. artists. It was curated by Veronica Barker-Barzel and is hung on our magnet wall.