Interview
John Clarke
“Where the prosaic collides with the sublime.” A phrase John’s father used to describe an artist’s work. Which artist? John remained silent on that because it was not his work, his father was paying such high praise. There is such beauty in the phrase it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have eyes to see and a brain to interpret light in a way that I can use to delight you. John’s intent is just that. To pose a visual suggestion to you for your interpretation. A collaboration of those whose vision seeks the sublime in the prosaic. He is an artistic didact. He taught himself in every visual medium that has occurred to him for over 60 years. Since his discovery of silk as a painting medium, his dedication to it has been exclusive for the past 30 years.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Like so many others, I stared at age 5 years old doing much of the artwork at school, bulletin boards, announcements, drawings for my friends and family. Even though I did not pursue a pathway of art scholastically, it has followed me and supported me in my medical vocation. It has enabled me to escape the rigors of so focused a discipline of medicine. Working as a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) I gave myself to this calling to the exclusion of marketing my art. Now in retirement, I can claim a new resurgence of energy towards letting my audience see the full depth of what I can do to evoke a powerful response to my visual images.”
What inspires you?
“Literally, to breathe in. I breathe my best when painting. Art for the joy of full lungs, but also for the joy of a full mind. My deepest joy comes from being able to stir someone’s emotions by what I can present them with my art.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My themes come from a deep seated need to see beauty in the things of this world that might seem ordinary. I also pursue the fanciful and the intriguing things that dreams are made of. Sometimes, I draw my ideas from my dreams both waking and sleeping. To be able to fashion a work that might draw someone else in is my highest accomplishment. If there is any message to be drawn from viewing them, it is that you are free. Let yourself be open to free-falling into an expanse of exploding color, shape and adventure!”
“My themes come from a deep seated need to see beauty in the things of this world that might seem ordinary.”
How would you describe your work?
“People say my style is very distinctive and immediately recognizable. My style has emerged as a consequence of the need to depict images that are powerful and classical. Silk is considered a craft since it is a fabric. In Asian cultures it is considered a royal medium because of its endurance. There are one thousand year old pieces of art that are created on silk. It escapes the notice of most people that canvas is a fabric. I choose to want my work to endure for longer than canvas can provide. Endurance not withstanding, silk has attributes that enhance both color and depth.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and Diego Rivera have all been my constant muses for constructing the images that I find within myself. These artists and their particular views of men and women and their portrayal of the struggle to connect with each other has been a huge learning experience for me. Residing on the shoulders of these giants is a comfort and an inspiration to me.”
What is your creative process like?
“My creative process starts with an explosion in my mind of what I want to see. I then transmit it to a small pencil sketch so that I can work out the composition and other elements that are important to its fruition. This fine woven silk is then stretched on a wooden frame so that its weft and weave can absorb the vibrant watercolor pigments. Much of the watercolor technique is my own devising, and is inspired by ancient Asian techniques.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Philanthropy. Philanthropy begins when you give your artwork away to those family members who appreciate it and pin it to their refrigerator. As you go on in your career, your community becomes an extended family, with needs that extend beyond appreciation. It is rewarding to give freely to those in need. Worldwide Healing Hands, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and infants in the most underserved areas of the world. My dear wife, Dr. Paula Dhanda is the founder and medical Director of Worldwide Healing Hands. For more than a decade, the paintings that have been auctioned off have supported the missions that WHH has undertaken to Nepal, Chad, Uganda, Rwanda, Haiti, India and Cambodia I believe that geographic, economic, racial or social circumstances should not determine health outcomes.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have had exhibitions in Carmel, CA, St Helena, Napa valley, and Sacramento. Even though, these affluent areas appreciated my work, my most moving compliment came from a patient who stayed in a hospital displaying my work saying "I got up in the middle of the night and went to look at your paintings and they are the reason that I recovered."”
