About the Artist
John Dorchester is an American artist known mostly for his landscape painting. His work is infused with an uncanny sense of light and space that has attracted collectors across the United States and Canada. John's paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country and have garnered numerous awards. His painting "The Red Door" won second place honors at The Salmagundi Club's 2023 National Studio Landscape Exhibition in New York, NY, and was used in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine to promote the Exhibition.
John is a 1982 graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. During his time at PAFA he won numerous awards for landscape and portrait painting as well as a William Emlin Cresson Special Commendation. John is an Alumni fellow of CFEVA, a non-profit dedicated to supporting notable emerging artists.
John's work is represented by Carspecken Scott Gallery in Wilmington, DE. His work can also be seen and purchased at the studio of the artist.
Self-Portrait, Oil on Linen, 14 X 18 ©2023
Statement:
I think of painting as a magical art. It is an applied sleight of hand. Creating a convincing and compelling image with nothing more than pigment and a brush is comparable to prestidigitation, in which a woman is sawed in two (but isn’t really), or more deeply, the art of cinema. The power of these arts rely entirely on creating illusions in order to convince the eye and mind that we are witnessing something that we are not. Having been both a filmmaker and a fine artist, I believe that good film making and creative painting have similar qualities that manifest through a myriad of technical deceptions of light and shadow, mood and ambiance, all to delight the mind and eyes and hopefully add to life's enjoyment.