Artist Spotlight: John Paul Kesling
John Paul Kesling (b. 1980, USA) was born and raised in Northeastern Kentucky in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. He received his BFA in Arts from Morehead State University (Morehead, KY, 2003) and spent a summer in Europe studying art history (Summer 2002). He went on to receive his MFA in Painting from SCAD (Savannah, GA, 2010). He spent the next six years in Brooklyn, NY immersed in the NYC art scene. In March of 2016, while attending a month-long residency at The Vermont Studio Center he realized how integral time, space, and nature were to his studio practice and in 2016, relocated to Madison, TN, just outside of Nashville.
His work has been featured in various group exhibitions and in 2022 he was accepted to the White Columns Curated Online Artist Registry. His work is included in the permanent collections of SCAD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Community Arts Initiative and Soho House Nashville. He has attended artist residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Art Residency Chattanooga, Azule, Jx Farms, Mudhouse, and ON::View at ARTS Southeast. He has had solo shows at Wheelhouse Arts (Louisville, KY), Oz Arts (Nashville, TN), The Red Arrow Gallery (Nashville, TN), and The Ellis Gallery at ARTS Southeast (Savannah, GA).
Kesling is a member of the artist collective at Ground Floor Contemporary (Birmingham, AL) and is represented by The Red Arrow Gallery (Nashville, TN) and Wheelhouse Art (Louisville, KY).
The Leaper, 2024. Oil, spray paint, charcoal, graphite on canvas, 50 x 78 inches. Photo courtesy of the artist
Landing, 2022. Oil, pastel, spray paint, pencil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
Shoot for the Moon and Land Amongst the Dogs, 2023. Acrylic, graphite, charcoal, pastel on wood, 24 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
What Now?, 2022. Acrylic, pencil, watercolor, walnut ink, India ink on canvas, 16 x 12 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
Bus Ride, 2023. Acrylic, oil, pearlescent pigment, charcoal, spray paint on canvas. 64 x 50 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
Jimmy Dreams, 2023. Oil, oil stick, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, interference paint on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
Party Shirt, 2023. Oil, oil stick, acrylic, charcoal on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
Wayfarer, 2022. Acrylic, oil, sand, charcoal on canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist
La Familia, 2023. Acrylic, oil, spray paint, charcoal, conte, interference paint on canvas, 78 x 50 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
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