freedom tower #131773

the art

This series has roots in the early 1990s and John's first serious exploration of photography, wandering the streets of San Diego with a Pentax K1000 and a tripod - watching and waiting for the city to reveal itself. 

John later learned of the French term ‘flaneur’, described by Nassim Taleb as “someone who, unlike a tourist, makes a decision opportunistically at every step to revise his schedule or his destination so he can imbibe things based on new information obtained.” John describes, "This is the balance contained within the series - meticulous research and preparation is involved to prepare to capture the essence of a city, and then in the moment I must let go and respond to what I see - a balance of choosing a direction and then allowing myself to be guided by what happens in the moment. The letting go allows space for the unexpected."

While these are photographs, John approaches this series with a painter's sensibility, aiming to create an impression of the moment. The final artworks are produced on canvas, lending to the painterly appearance. The soft, abstract nature of this series, much like John's landscape work, is intended to evoke a memory of an experience of place rather than an exact record, so the viewer, free from the confines of specificity, is invited to interpret the scene through the lens of their own personal history.

The Process

All photographs on canvas are available in Editions of 5, in standard sizes - once five are sold, regardless of size, the edition is closed. The artwork is individually produced by John in a custom state-of-the-art digital studio in a renovated barn-building on Johns Island, SC. Meticulous attention to detail in every step of the process (particularly with regards to color) is the hallmark of Johnʼs artwork.

After the artwork is color-proofed and printed on canvas, each piece is hand-coated with multiple coats of a UV protectant layer, stretched over custom designed and locally milled stretcher bars, and then framed with a canvas floater frame in dark walnut, or in painted black or white with seamless corners. Click HERE to view frames.

The full process takes anywhere from 6-8 weeks from initial deposit to complete, depending on the current workload and exhibition schedule.

Standard Sizes and Prices

26x40” - $3,300

32x48“ - $3,850

40x60” - $4,400

48x72” - $5,800

56x84” - $6,600

*Custom sizes available upon request.