DON'T BLEND IN: THE BRIGHT POP PAINTINGS OF ARTIST CAROL JOHN

Photos courtesy of Hickory Chair and Carol John

So many creative forces are coming from the South at the moment. The Athens, Georgia-based School of Visual Arts-trained artist Carol John's work was introduced to me by my friend Skip Rumley, the Creative Director of Hickory Chair. He incorporated her visual masterpieces amongst his well thought out vignettes at High Point Market. Displayed alongside his clean-lined elegant designs, her work displayed the right amount of the unexpected. I am so pleased he was able to introduce the work of this wonderful artist, helping expose her art to an entirely new audience. The bold, no-holds-barred fantastical paintings, a melding of abstracted droplets and shapes, set against a bright solid background, paired with bright zingy pop references make them joyous and just plain fun to look at. Their mesmerizing appeal may have something to do with their rainbow hues, or the fact that you can't really tell what the shapes are. Rumley made a good fit, pairing her contemporary modernist sensibility with classic interiors-- it's all about the unexpected mix. I hope you will enjoy her effervescent, exacting paintings as much as I do. I will be including one of her pieces in the just-launched Stylebeat Shop, and if you are interested in learning more about John's work, reach out to her here.