John Stockwell
"These paintings depict the place that I have chosen as my home. I walk here regularly taking in these views. Leaving the forest behind, nature opens up to vast fields, which spill out to the Baltic Sea. The light always changes, dancing over the crops. It’s like nature is inviting me to play."
- John Stockwell
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John Stockwell, "Greenpeace," 2023, oil on canvas, 40 x 65 inches, $23,000
"I am enthralled by the depth in the hills beyond this flourishing field of green. I am searching for a balance between field, horizon, hills, and sky....a meditative hold leaning towards eternity and a mysterious calm that comes with the pursuit of the Divine Proportion and the Golden Mean." - John Stockwell, 2023
John Stockwell, "Blossom Burst," 2023, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 51 inches, $16,000
“There are so many different colors visible in a fruit tree when light hits its blossoms. I want to grab the essence of their fusion through swirls of spontaneously mixed paint, which I apply with a frenzy. My fingers dance with colors through the changing light in the luminous branches, ordering a symphony of painting to celebrate it's beauty....a surge of energy to salute her fertility.” – JS, 2023
details and texture shots: "Blossom Burst," 2023, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 51 inches, contact for price
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“With the rapidly changing conditions of the world, it is key to pause and take in all that is good around us. Yellow is the color of friendship. A counter to chaos is calm. The way the landscape makes me feel connected to eternity gives me hope.” – JS, 2022
John Stockwell - "Greeenpeace " and "Blossom Burst," 2023, on view at Arden Gallery
John Stockwell - "Greeenpeace " and "Blossom Burst," 2023, on view at Arden Gallery
“When walking through the orchards I become inspired by the personalities of the old apple trees. Like proud peacocks, they present the fertility of their blossoms. A celebration of humming energy from every fragrant flower. My inspiration soars.” – JS, 2022
John Stockwell, "Haze and Hills," 2023, oil on canvas, 30 x 59 inches, $16,000
“I can be consumed by the serenity of a summer night and the way nature abstracts the evening light. The presence of the geometric shadows with the soft atmosphere in the hills is one of Mother Nature’s greatest mysteries.” – JS, 2023
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John Stockwell, "Baltic Blue," 2022, oil on canvas, 39.5 x 65 inches, $23,000
“At dusk or dawn, I reach for a perfect place…the line between land and sea, earth and atmosphere. A harmony in blue speaks to me as I long for the calmest moment.” – JS, 2022
John Stockwell, "Marvel," 2022, oil on canvas, 39.5 x 65 inches, $23,000
“When intensely affected by the state of the world, I experience a profound need to immerse myself in my work. The balance in the paintings themselves, between light and dark, mystery and clarity, is of the essence. I marvel at nature’s ability to let everything co-exist.” – JS, 2022
John Stockwell, "Prana," 2021, oil on canvas, 31.5 x 43 inches - SOLD
"I see the world in colors, many colors, a combination of colors. A blue is never just a blue. A pink is never just a pink. Light is all colors. Light is the force around us that gives back energy, so generously. I search for a balance of color that communicates that energy, that force, that Prana." - JS, 2021
John Stockwell, "Hope," 2022, oil on canvas, 39.5 x 65 inches - SOLD
John Stockwell, "Mantra," 2021, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 47 inches, $14,000
"When I paint I go on a meditative journey. I try not to think, but only reach deep within. I try to find that meditative hum of inexplicable energy, that special connection with everything around me. This path of poppies, through the high energy of the color-field, represents to me the focus and determination that meditation also is, the Mantra." - JS, 2021
texture, texture, texture...
detail from "Baltic Blue"
detail from "Gemini"
detail from "Marvel"
detail from "Hope"
detail from "Bay"
detail from "Road with Apple Trees"
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John Stockwell, "Road with Apple Trees," 2022, oil on canvas, 31.5 x 43 inches - SOLD
“Whenever I visit the apple orchards that surround the farm where I live, I find new energy. The path between the rows of trees opens with a view to the Baltic. Here I have focused on the thick, lusty blossoms in springtime - a celebration of new life and promise.” – JS, 2022
“My work invokes the space between the rolling hills of Southern Sweden and fields of lush flowers, with views of the Baltic Sea just beyond. I search for a balance, intuitively. I intend, with the intense foreground color meeting the clouds on the horizon, to suggest a mystery and a calm that also offers energy. My aim is a resonant hum that allows for a sense of timelessness.” – John Stockwell, 2021
sold works & installation shots
ABOUT THE ARTIST
"Without fail, John Stockwell’s paintings stop viewers in their tracks. I have personally witnessed this happen hundreds of times. Visitors to the gallery become instantly transfixed by John’s work. Most often I observe people wrapped in a moment of silence. There is a palpable wave of astonishment, followed by broad smiles, wide eyes, and some type of verbal expression of love.
Arden Gallery has had the honor of representing John Stockwell’s paintings for more than two decades. Over time, there has been a steady evolution within the work. This transition has been visible in each piece John has delivered to the gallery. And yet, when I recently came across a painting completed in early 2001, I was absolutely stunned by the colossal metamorphosis which has evidently taken place under our very noses.
Where once his works had been dreamy and ethereal…now they are immediate and intense. By painting with his hands and using his fingertips John is able to achieve lively, expressionistic markings. Close inspection of his foregrounds reveal seemingly infinite layers of color. Within the peaks, clusters, and rugged markings are surprising bits of unexpected hues, which add energy and vibrancy. His arresting imagery, his uncommon textures, and his fearless hand actualize some of the most breathtaking works of art Arden Gallery has ever offered." - Zola Solamente, Owner of Arden Gallery
John Stockwell’s 10 most asked questions and answers 2022:
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Which one of your paintings is your favorite?
John Stockwell: “Always, the next one.”
2. How long did it take you to make that painting?
John Stockwell: “64 years."
3. When did you know you wanted to be an Artist?
John Stockwell: “When I was 14 years old, I saw an Edward Hopper painting in the Whitney Museum of Art of a bridge receding in perspective. I looked at the atmosphere in the picture and said to myself: ‘I want to do that!’”
4. Who is your favorite Artist?
John Stockwell: “There are so many…. the 10 artists that have influenced me the most are:
Mary Cassatt
George Inness
Claude Monet
Mark Rothko
Vincent Van Gogh
Edward Hopper
Winslow Homer
Rembrandt van Rijn
Richard Diebenkorn
John Singer Sargent
J.M.W Turner”
5. Are your paintings actual places?
John Stockwell: “For years, I painted outside on location using chalk pastels. I began painting oils from the pastels,
building up the images on canvas in the studio. The process evolved to where the pastels became a starting for my imagination. Now, the mood and the energy in the picture is more important than the actual subject.”
6. Do you have certain working hours in the studio?
John Stockwell: “I only paint when I’m inspired. That can be in the morning or the evening- all day or all night.”
7. Is there something other than paint in the thick parts of the picture?
John Stocvkwell: “No. I use a classical mix of one third Linseed oil, one third damar varnish and one third turpentine…and
a LOT of oil paint.”
8. What technique do you use to make your paintings?
John Stockwell: “ with my hands (and yes, these days I do use thin gloves.)
9. Where do you get your inspiration?
John Stockwell: “I wish I knew. It’s one of the great mysteries in life.”
10. What do you do when you don’t paint?
John Stockwell: “Suffer.”