Where are you from, and how did you get into art?
I was born in Greensboro, NC. I am one of nine children. I have been interested in art my whole life. I took classes off and on throughout my education. I am basically a self-taught artist. I have had the privilege of working with some well known artists throughout the years that I greatly respect. I was selected to be the poster artist for the Wilmington Flower Market in Wilmington, DE in 1993 that jump started my art career. I have been involved in shows across the country. I have been published in International Artist Magazine and in a book entitled “How did you Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint People and Figures”. It is a life career in which I am learning and growing.
You use a lot of mediums, do you have a favorite?
I do use a few mediums. I began my career in Watercolor painting and worked in it for nearly 20 years. When I moved to New Bern, NC I joined a plein air group and starting using oils. They were easier to handle in the outdoor environment. I still paint in both Watercolor and Oils depending on my the subject matter. Sometimes I paint in one of these two mediums depending on my mood. Oh yes, and then there is the client request. In 2008 I was inspired to work in collage by the Christmas Cards I received that year. It started as a project that took me 12 years to complete.
Speaking of different mediums, do you see a relationship between all the materials you work in?
This is a great question and one I could spend a great deal of time answering. Aside from painting, I have taught art classes for years in my studio and in arts counsels where I have lived. Relationship between mediums and materials I use in art are essentially with color, value, texture, and shapes. Watercolor and Oil are similar in color, by name, most of the time but very different in their application and the surfaces you use to apply them.Most of the principles and elements of art do apply to the three mediums I have used. The collages I have displayed in the Bank of the Arts for the month of December were executed first by dividing the cards I received that year by color. I created a pallet like I do for all my work just using paper instead of paint.
Is there a theme to your work, or several themes?
Through the years my work has taken on forms of themes. My main focus throughout my career has been florals and landscapes. In recent years I have focused on landscapes that have been minimally influenced by man made objects. I am a working artist. By that I mean, I have taken commission work throughout my entire career. I have painted animals, portraits, and places of importance to my clients. I can paint most anything my clients have requested. I jokingly have said, though, golf holes seem to elude me.
You do a lot of plein air works, do you have a favorite place to paint?
I like to paint most all landscapes. I paint what I live around. I paint in and around downtown New Bern. I particularly like to paint in our local and surrounding parks: Union Point Park, New Bern Civil War Battlefield Park, Creekside Park, Lawson Creek Park, and the new developing park Martin Marietta Park to name a few. I, also, enjoy painting at the New Bern Arboretum and the surrounding farm land in our area. I do like to paint the Neuse, and other surrounding water ways as well as the ocean.
I know youre having a special exhibit in the Directors gallery for December, can you talk about the works that will be in it?
As I mentioned above, I began a body of work in 2008 that I completed in 2019. I was inspired to make a collage every year for twelve years. Each image is created from the Christmas cards received within the year they were sent to me. The project came to me like turning on a light switch in a darkroom. My focus while working on these pieces was execution. Each image was to take on the likeness of a portrait. After completing each image I stepped back to see what had evolved. The pieces together became a portrait. I was moved and surprised by what I observed. My hope is that while on display at the Bank of the Arts Directors Gallery those who visit will find something moving and meaningful.
Is there a particular piece, exhibition, or award youre particularly proud of?
So far in my life I have been blessed to create the works I have done and had the clients and patrons who have supported me. I have received a few first place awards from the Bank of the Arts. I have as I mentioned been published in International Artist Magazine and in a book “How Did you Paint That? A 100 Ways to Paint People and Figures”. I have been selected to show my work in many exhibits and galleries including the the Franklin Mint in PA.
I have shown in many exhibits of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina and was a signature member. I have felt the greatest complements of my work have been the patrons who have said, “I feel I could walk right through that landscape.” or “I can almost smell those flowers”.
Is there another artist in your field or any other that inspires you or whose work you admire?
I have been inspired by the artists of the pasts like Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, Robert Henri, and John Singer Sargent. More current Charles Hawthorne and his students from the Cape Cod School of Art which I was privileged to attend.
Also artists I have worked with; Terry Newitt, Judi Betts, and Charles Reid.
In one sentence, what is art to you?
An expression of creativity that fills in the cracks of where prose and poetry cannot go.
I know you have work on display at Bank of the Arts, where else can people view and purchase your work?
I am thankful to be represented here in New Bern by the Bank of the Arts and Craven Arts Council. You can also find my work at Carolina Creations in New Bern. I have designed an ornament specifically for New Bern that can be purchased at Jan’s Hallmark as well as a limited selection of prints of my work.
By Jonathan Burger, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Inc.
