The Art of St.John Colon

Exhibition Opening at the Southwest Museum

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Please join me at the artist’s opening for my solo show at the Southwest Museum on

October 25, 2009 from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM. Wine and refreshments will be served!

The Southwest Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

234 Museum Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90065 • 323.221.2164 • AutryNationalCenter.org

Artist's Statement

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My work primarily deals with the physical presence of mankind on earth and the resulting impressions which remains both within the psyche of others and upon the earth itself. These impressions typically manifest as scars that result from violence, greed and loathing which is ever present within human society.
My work is rendered in a surreal representation that includes natural landscape, objects, architectural details and figures of both mundane and historical relevance. Synchronicity of time is largely ignored in order to portray spans of time that transcend generations. This timelessness underscores the pervasive nature of humanity's flaws.
While perhaps colorless and dire, my works are not depictions of despair, but rather allegories of mankind's eternal voyage. For the struggle to find peace, happiness and purpose in life is and shall always be an ongoing journey in which we will never really arrive at our goal, but in which we will find many meaningful moments of bliss along the way.

I completed my Master's Degree in Fine Arts from UCLA in 1995, concentrating in the discipline of printmaking. I studied with Printmaking Masters B.G. Muhn, Toby Michel, Ann-Marie Karlsen and Jeff Wasserman. My early work involved a great deal of experimentation with aqua-tinting and the use of stencils in my etchings. Ultimately, with the advent of computer technology, computer assisted imaging became more vital in the role of creating my work.

Works

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Presented here are various works from 1985 to the present.

"Julia Dream" - Aquatint Etching - 1991

"Fear and Loathing" - Monoprint - 1993

"Exile" - Lithograph - 1988

"Pro Bono Publico" - Digital Print - 1995

"Wanda Coleman" - Aquatint Etching - 1993

"Secrets" - Digital Print - 1995

"Signals" - Aquatint Etching - 1989

Haring Study "Money to Burn" - Digital Print - 2004

"The Job is Done" - Aquatint Etching - 1991

"Il Dictator" - Aquatint Etching - 1994

"The Great Hunt" - Digital Print - 1995

"Islands" - Monoprint - 1994

"Journey of Man" - Aquatint Etching - 1994

"9 Faces" - Monoprint - 1989

"Anatomy of Violence" - Aquatint Etching - 1988

"Oh Happy Day" - Charcoal on Paper - 2006

"Ham Redux" - Digital Print - 2008

"Artist's Studio" - Lithograph - 1988

"Number 5" - Lithograph - 1994

"Untitled Still Life" - Oil Pastels - 1985

Works in Video

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Presented here are recent works in video.

"Tractus Mortalis" - Maya and After Effects - 2005

MFA Thesis, June 1995

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The Law of Opposites

It is desirable for mankind to create dualities. In doing so, individuals, governing bodies and religious institutions are able to fabricate hierarchies of identities from which they may profit and exercise power. Objects are not powerful images on their own accord; they have to be empowered. Although the ramifications of the language are manifest in the attitudes and ideologies of people, there exists in every case an origin of either mythological or religious nature that defines and reinforces the meaning of the language. In the case of gender specificity, clothing is a symbol that serves as a constant reminder of male hegemony over its opposing counterpart. It is thus through visual icons and language that dualities in our culture are ever reinforced to the point that they are held as truths.

Language and icons also create Social Hierarchies. In the case of gender, these specificities can be traced back to creation myths. In the Judeo-Christian creation story in Genesis, the first being is man created in the image of God. Woman is created afterwards because man desires a companion. As a result of this duality (first, last), man is established as superior to woman who is created as an afterthought. Woman's position in society is further diminished when she is convinced by the serpent to disobey God by eating from the tree of knowledge, the fruit of which she shares with man. As a result of this disobedience, they are both expelled from paradise and made to suffer the evils of the world.

This particular myth is also an example of how language and icons create Political and Religious hierarchies. In the time during which Genesis was being written, the Hebrews were conquering the lands of the Canaanites. This story both served to empower the male Hebrew god Yaweh as well as vilify the female Canaanite serpent goddess Hawah (Eve).

Thus we see the hegemony of men being empowered through the use of language, stories and icons. Dualities that establish such hierarchies are ever present in our society and form the foundations of symbols we see in all facets of artistic expression. However just or unjust these dualities are, it is important to recognize the power these dualities have in defining our conscious ideas of where we as individuals fit within the fabric of society.

Shows

2008-08-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

SOLO EXHIBIT
Southwest Museum, LA
October 25, 2009

SUMMER EXHIBIT
Alex Haleigh Gallery
August 22, 2008

GET REAL
Alex Haleigh Gallery
January 22, 2005

EKLECTICA
Alex Haleigh Gallery
September 10, 2004

OLD STUFF & NEW STUFF
Emerald Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
October 23 - November 23 1996

OLD STUFF & NEW STUFF
Talking Room Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
September 23 - October 23 1996

UCLA MFA Thesis Exhibition
Bergamot Station, Los Angeles, CA
June 10-24 1995

Student Work

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Presented here is the work of students I have taught in the area of printmaking and digital imaging from 1991 through 2002.

"That is not my Elbow" - Amy Winfrey - 1995

"Murdered" - Ann Suff - 1995

"Jennifer's Secret" - G'net G - 1995

"Zemar (orthos)" - Dorothy Chen - 2002

"Farabundo Marti" - Guillermo Fuentes - 1994

"Chaos & Love" - J. Battle - 1995

"Hero" - K. Rich - 1995

"Waiting for the Bus" - Myra Rosa - 1991

"Sleep" - Naotaka Hiro - 1995

"Untitled" - R. Ania - 1995

"Rock Star" - S. Franklin Bar - 1995

"Black Sheep" - Tara Thomas - 1995