Look Again

John Wood creates visceral beauty with his abstract, mixed-media drawings on paper. His work is a free-flowing dance of gestural marks that stem from his intuitive exploration of the human form. The artist will be showing at LuckyLo Art Gallery this December with an opening reception on December 5, 6:00-10:00 pm.

“I am excited for the chance to show this body of work again and to re-examine the sensuality that is so apparent here,” says Wood about this exhibit. “My interests are in the seductive qualities in life and I attempt to convey them through my art. With this work I was searching for a way to visualize rapture.”

Wood’s process begins with drawing from a live model, layering images and overlapping renditions of various poses. He aggregates line work and broad passages of color until the figure becomes subsumed in expressive markings. When finished, Wood’s work alludes to the human body symbolically rather than representationally and there is a heightened emotional quality to the work. Thin lines and marks run through wide color fields of flesh tones, spiraling like one’s fingers do in a gentle caress.

Wood approaches his paper without a specific plan and allows the drawing to develop organically. He refers to his process as a dialogue between him and his work. He layers graphite, crayon, oil pastel, pigment stick, and enamel and takes pleasure in the ways these media interact with the paper, which he likens to making marks on skin.

“Look Again” will feature work created mostly within the past two years.