John Preston
Fat Man and Little Boy
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”
John Preston
Mississippi Elevator
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”, 2021
John Preston
Canton Contre Jour
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”, 2021
John Preston
Approaching Lock and Dam
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”, 2021
John Preston
Sometimes Too Dry
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”, 2021
John Preston Artist Statement:
My contributions to this exhibit are Realism in the sense used by Courbet and the Barbizon
school, when all painting was “realistic” in appearance. Namely, the portrayal of everyday life,
as opposed to historical or religious subjects, great battles or portraits of nobility.
I am generally known for what I call the “Amber Waves of Grain Thing”: expansive fields and
dramatic skies. I am very much taken with those things, coming from a suburban background.
It is breathtaking, but it’s not the whole picture.
Hopefully these images complete my treatment of Midwestern agriculture and the climate
change currently driving that meteorological drama I found arresting.
I wish to be known as a Realist and a Romantic. These “grittier” images keep my previous work
from being “spin”. Perhaps surprisingly, these things are as interesting to me as those original
inspirations.
It’s not particularly beautiful subject matter but hopefully I’ve seen it beautifully. Light redeems
the ugliest subject and in the spirit of those earlier practitioners of Realism, perhaps I can
make the viewer examine their idea of “beautiful”.
John Preston
Drawn Up
Oil on canvas,
36 x 36”, 2006
John Preston
The Weather Gauge
Oil on canvas,
36 x 36”, 2006
JOHN PRESTON
Current
Exhibit
The current exhibit: “contemporary realism” with Greg Thatcher, John Preston & Bill Teeple
IOWA CONTEMPORARY ART | 58 North Main Street, Fairfield, IA 52556 | 641-919-6252 | bill@icon-art.org | iconbillteeple@gmail.com
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John Preston
Eddyville Isengard
Watercolor on paper,
16 x 20”, 2022
John Preston
Hidden Mississippi
Watercolor on paper,
20 x 16”, 2022
