JOHN VANDER
POSTCARDS FROM SICILY
New works on paper by John Vander-July29 to September 18
This is a visual remembrance of a short trip to the island of Sicily this year in January. The classical and baroque share a loving cup of the local wine. Everything was very different from Tuscany. The sky was a deeper clearer blue, the sea a transparent turquoise and all the colors seemed to be electrified. Arriving at night, the half moon rising over the sea, heading to Mount Etna from Catania Airport, with its curve parallel to the sea was a profound and magical preface of things to come. I returned to Tuscany and began painting this new and extremely colorful experience.
I hope my paintings can bring to my viewers the soft breezes, the ancient Greek ruins, the hilly fertile earth, Etna’s profound power over the island and my new and deeply felt love for everything on Bella Sicilia.
I hope my paintings can bring to my viewers the soft breezes, the ancient Greek ruins, the hilly fertile earth, Etna’s profound power over the island and my new and deeply felt love for everything on Bella Sicilia.
“My painting seems immediate but in reality they can take me years to completely satisfy my goals. They are not romanticized in the least. They are the vision of what was and is, the once and the future. I am constantly amazed at the beauty that surrounds me. It can be a daunting task to capture that quality. I hope I have succeeded. I am never finished with a painting. The deadline of an exhibit pushes me to finish them,” says Vander.
John Vander has been invited to have a solo exhibit at the foundation of Marino Marini in Pistoia, Italy for the month of February in 2017. Pistoia has been named the Cultural Center of Italy for 2017 and Vander is pleased to be a part of this very important honor. 
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John Vander has been painting since he was a little boy. He splits his year between Boothbay, Maine and Lucca, Italy where he maintains two very diverse studios. His painting, mostly very mixed media, are vibrant, immediate and full of emotion and understanding of their place in the Universe. Each piece may take years to complete and yet they maintain their feeling of spontaneity. His use of colors are a joy and his bold calligraphic black lines only enhance his use of these colors. He has been represented by Gold/Smith Gallery for 24 years.
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