The Abstract Art of John L. Payne: March 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Abnormal Brain Activity

Sometimes I wonder if these explanations are a benefit or if they take away from the air of mystery surrounding the art. I once heard it said that if your art tells a story then it is no longer true art but has become an illustration. Maybe my art lives in a gap between these two schools of thought or maybe I just over think things...

I have been dreaming a lot lately and it seems that many of my dreams involve me being back in the Navy. I show up on the base and report for duty only to discover that I don't have any uniforms. In the latest dream all of the submarines were blue except for one really small one which was red. Now when you figure that out please send me an email. Until then I hope you enjoy this small 7.5 x 10.5" painting that to me, illustrates the activities taking place inside of my head during a dream. My dream creatures float leisurely amidst a flurry of neural activity and seem to be in no hurry at all to go anywhere or be anything in particular. Though they may be unusual looking they are content to simply be who and what they are. I like that thought... It is a good thing to be content, to be comfortable in my own skin just the way God made me and in just the place he wants me to be. I could never fit into anyone elses mold anyway so why waste the effort....

Artist Bio

Born in Oklahoma, John Payne began drawing and painting at the age of six. Though educated and involved in the arts well into college, his life and career path drastically changed when he enlisted into the United States Nuclear Navy at the age of 21. As a submariner, chemist and nuclear plant operator, safety became an integral part of his daily life. After leaving the Navy he followed a similar path working in radiation/chemical safety and ultimately as an Environmental Health and Safety Manager for over 20 years before returning full time to his passion as an artist. John is motivated by the works of the mid-century expressionists and current abstract artists alike. While some of John's work is pure expressionism, many of his pieces are more ordered in their chaos. This effort to control the abstraction with a sense of “boundaries” is reminiscent, states the artist, of the efforts we all make to live passionately while still attempting to conform to moral and social responsibilities. John’s work is thought provoking and often littered with social and philosophical commentary. As a Navy veteran John has traveled across the USA and to other countries as well, experiencing sights and cultures which have served as inspiration to his work. After 20+ years of working in the corporate world with art as his hobby, John has recently abandoned “the grind” to pursue his work as an artist in earnest. He offers that the decision was not only overdue but "very liberating". John lives in Springfield, Missouri with his wife Pattie and two dogs.