|
Ok, now that I have your attention, follow this short story. Lets assume you love U2…what is the likelihood that you can meet Bono? Virtually zero right? Well, I have met Bono…sort of. His name is John O’Connor, he’s a contemporary artist and I am certain I am the first person ever to connect John and Bono. But, like Bono, John also has a unique voice and marches to his own beat. Unlike Bono, John creates drawings that are one of a kind in today’s world.
Last night, John opened a new exhibition at the Pierogi Gallery in New York. According to John, the drawings mix image, logos, script, and pattern with invented fonts and text styles that he creates. John says: “I invent the story section-by-section, line-by-line, with no idea of how it will unfold. I integrate references to the personal and public freely: film, my dreams, social class hierarchy, religious belief systems, and current events, among others. As each story unfolds, I react to the various obstacles that the individual encounters.”
Five years ago I stumbled on John O’Connor’s artwork and I was instantly taken aback. There seemed to be something different on so many levels. There were drawings that looked cool and a little weird, that told stories that were fun and a little strange. They were large and small and always drawn with colored pencil. I was immediately hooked, so I bought a few and I have lived with these works in my home virtually from the time I started One River.
John O’Connor embodies why I do what I do. He motivates me to teach, share and promote all that is good in art.
Matt Ross
Founder
#MondayThoughts @JohnOConnor @PierogiGallery
matt@oneriverschool.com
|
