“Art and Coffee” With John Wood

Posted on July 22, 2009 
Filed Under Art, Berkeley, Oakland

The first time I meet painter John Wood, I am completely taken with his tranquility. We sit for caffeinated beverages and a lovely chat at the site of his latest exhibition, “Art and Coffee,” which presides at Sweet Adeline Bakeshop until August 21, situated neatly on the divide between Berkeley and Oakland in the same genteel and gentrifying neighborhood where Wood’s studio also happens to be located.

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Upon seeing Wood alongside this particular body of work, completed between 2007 and the present, and set upon light blue paper that happens to marry perfectly with the yellow walls and sun-drenched windows of this former warehouse space, I immediately grasp the optimism, emotion, and intensity of his work, even though the work and Wood both appear to be as calm, cool, and collected as any art exhibit I’ve seen in a long while. Whether or not Wood intends for me to feel this optimism and lightness of being, I am unsure, but more than anything I am aware that my role is to enjoy my time with the painter and his work in equal measure.

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Soon after meeting, Wood and I discover a shared passion for reading, which sheds some additional light on his creative process. “I collect titles,” Wood says, explaining that — while his work may appear to be a series of simple square feet containing abstract colors, lines, and shapes — the titles, taken from Wood’s own stash of favorite snippets of sentences and poems, simultaneously add both dimension and mystery to his paintings, granting viewers the freedom and the distance from having to know exactly what each one means, and, ultimately, the ability to focus, instead, on what the work means to every single viewer as an individual.

Featuring titles such as, “Entwined in a Sweaty Heap,” “With All Its Imperfections,” “Sensation Down the Spine,” and “Stopping Mid-Sentence,” it is immediately clear to me that Wood relishes life’s tactile, sensual, and cerebral connections — afforded by his ability and foresight not just to create, but to know when his creations are truly complete. For me, this is a rare quality for any artist, the sense of accomplishment and completion, as well as the ability to simultaneously embrace and let go, which makes Wood’s paintings, even in their relatively small size, advance with a sense of personality and profound emotion.

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For some, Wood’s work may appear influenced by cartography, while for others the work may seem more personal and personified, the ultimate walkaway is that each piece speaks to humanity’s growing desire for simplicity, symbols, semiotics, and extended meanings in today’s over-saturated, over-communicated landscape. Fortunately, for a due change of perspective and pace, Wood reinforces the beauty of actually stopping to see the paintings.

— Kay

John Wood’s “Art and Coffee” collection is showing at Sweet Adeline Bakeshop, 3350 Adeline St., in Berkeley, 510.985.7381. The exhibition will remain open through Friday, August 21. All paintings are available for sale.

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Comments

One Response to ““Art and Coffee” With John Wood”

  1. Cherie on August 30th, 2009 9:13 pm

    Nice paintings

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