For the past few months, John Paul Kesling’s painting exhibition Panic and Purpose has been on view at East Nashville’s Red Arrow Gallery. A bombastic collection of medium-to-large scale works on canvas, Kesling’s bold vision is desolate and humorous, mysterious and familiar, as though witness to a contradiction that makes perfect sense.
Red 225 asked the artist 20 questions about art and life in general. What transpired can be found below.
What is your earliest memory of your burgeoning interest in art?
Good question. I grew up in a small town in Kentucky so art museums and galleries might as well had been on a moon circling Jupiter. There’s a few things that stand out. I grew up (or didn’t grow up) in a Disney household. So there were always cartoons and crayons. I was always jealous of the kids in school with the 64 pack of crayons but I kinda felt like I had to earn those extra colors so I needed to practice. Another weird memory of being exposed to art came when my brothers and I were helping my dad tear down some old wallpaper in our house. Somebody had drawn these little drawings of trolls on the walls before putting the paper up years before we were there. To a sweaty little dirt-ball kid, it was like discovering cave paintings. I also remember drawing my favorite wrestlers but tearing them all up one day when my brother said they didn’t look good. I was high-strung.
How have you witnessed this early interest reveal itself in your current work?
I did recently finish a painting of “The Ultimate Warrior” which I’m pretty excited about (even if it doesn’t look like him). I’ve chilled out. And in non-wrestling news, I think there’s a sense of play in my work that sneaks in. I like hiding little references throughout. It could be a Bart Simpson or just some magical glazing technique for the painting nerds. If a painting is half as fun to look at up close as it was to make, I’m happy.
“I think there’s a sense of play in my work that sneaks in. I like hiding little references throughout. It could be a Bart Simpson or just some magical glazing technique for the painting nerds. If a painting is half as fun to look at up close as it was to make, I’m happy.”
Speaking of your current work, tell us about your recent exhibition “Panic and Purpose” at Red Arrow Gallery. What motivated and/or inspired this show?
Katie (from Red Arrow) did a studio visit and told me she had an unexpected opening in her schedule. She wanted work that hadn’t been shown and I had a few months. I like deadlines so I got to work. This show is a collection new work finished in 2018/2019. Since graduate school, I’ve mostly quit making conceptual work and just work intuitively. If there’s an overarching theme, it would be something about me trying to synthesize the contemporary human experience. Broad stuff and non-linear. I make a lot of work and the grouping in this show could’ve went a number of directions. As we got closer to the opening, I wrote about the pieces we decided on and “Panic And Purpose” was pulled from that writing. It seemed right.
How does this collection of work demonstrate a departure from some of your earlier art?
The more I paint, the more I like painting. I think that shows in the work. The most obvious departure is the scale of the work. The large pieces are the largest I’ve ever worked. Moving to Nashville from Brooklyn has allowed for that to happen logistically. Making these large pieces ,primarily on the floor, was fun and allowed me to treat the materials in a less-precious way. I hope that translates to the viewer. It breaks my heart when I see a painting and it looks like the artist doesn’t even like paint. Paint is so primitive yet so magical, like most of the good stuff.
How did your work come to find itself in at this gallery?
See above. But The Red Arrow Gallery was one of my first stops when I moved to Nashville. I stopped in within the first couple of weeks of moving here and met Katie. I showed around at a few other galleries and finally reconnected with Red Arrow after 2 1/2 years and we set up a studio visit. She offered me a show before she left and that was it.
Has the southeastern US, and specifically the city of Nashville, had any particular impact on your art? Why or why not?
Nature. Space. Time. Those are the biggest gifts an artist can ask for. Subject matter and inspiration can be found anywhere if you’re a curious person. Those other three things are the elusive ones. Thanks, Nashville!
“Nature. Space. Time. Those are the biggest gifts an artist can ask for. Subject matter and inspiration can be found anywhere if you’re a curious person.”
What insights or realizations, if any, do you hope your viewers will understand when they observe your art?
I just hope people like the work. It’s pretty simple. I worked hard on this stuff to hopefully make it not suck. My favorite thing to do at the opening was to ask people which was their least favorite painting. It really makes people feel comfortable.
On the flip side, what are some aspects of your work that may not be evident to your audience based solely on its surface/appearance?
I don’t think that a lot of people realize how many bad paintings are underneath the painting they see on the surface. Some of the thicker, more labored pieces have at least three or four horrible paintings hidden away that I’ve painted over. Let’s call it “process”.
Building upon the previous question, what method would you prefer one take when making a critique of your art: a formal, contextual, or expressive approach? Why?
I think it would be hard for me to be offended by a bad critique of these pieces. I put great effort into masking the seriousness of much of the work and don’t expect the viewer to take away everything I put in. Any approach to critique would be interesting for me to read. The work IS emotional. The work IS expressive. If a critic feels anything, great. And formally, I try to push myself to make interesting paintings with challenging choices. I like there to be a little tension in the composition so that the painting is teetering on then edge of failure. They have flaws, walk pigeon-toed, but they work hard, and man oh man do they keep that old front porch swept clean!
Who and/or what are some of your biggest artistic influences? How? Why?
Francesco Clemente for his versatility, romance and sensitivity/sexuality. Picasso for his confidence. Tal R for his silliness and line. Katherine Bradford for her color and boldness. David Hockney for most things. Peter Doig for his mystery. Ellen Siebers for her quiet. Terry Ekasala for her palette and shapes. Jules De Balincourt for his intensity and composition. And improv comedy podcast for its quick twists and turns. Oh, and Eminem and Fiona Apple for words, rhythm and melody.
How does your work demonstrate departure from the above influences?
My lexicon of visual vocabulary is a house full of stolen paint and brushes but the pickle jar they’re stored in are pickles I ate. It all has my stink on it which makes it mine.
What upcoming projects and/or exhibitions do you have planned within the next 12 months?
At the beginning of May I’ll have eight works in a group show at Tim Faulkner Gallery in Louisville, KY. At the end of May I’ll be attending a two-week artist residency in Hot Springs, NC. We’re also putting together another solo show at The Red Arrow Gallery in 2020 but haven’t set the dates yet.
What are your goals for your art within the next 12 months?
If I could do this full-time and not bartend, that’d be pretty okay.
Goals for your life in general?
Art for 11 months a year. Looking for shark teeth at the beach the other month so I can make my dog and girlfriend some sweet jewelry.
Since we’ve brought up life in general, what’s your favorite food and drink?
Food: Pizza till I die (which will probably be within 2 weeks on that diet). Drink: Egyptian Licorice Herbal Tea at the moment.
“My lexicon of visual vocabulary is a house full of stolen paint and brushes but the pickle jar they’re stored in are pickles I ate. It all has my stink on it which makes it mine.”
Band(s) and/or record(s)?
Eminem “Kamikaze”, Tyler Childers “Live On Red Barn Radio 1&2”, Patty Griffin “Living With Ghosts”
Movie(s)?
“Great Expectations” with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow
Hang spot(s)?
Picnic table in my side yard with my dog, Maggie.
Weekend activity?
When I’m not bartending, finding water to sit by.
Money’s not a factor, you will burn no social bridges, and you’re guaranteed a comfortable lifestyle no matter what—where would you live, and what would you do?
Terrifying question. Kokomo sounds pretty good.
To learn more about John Paul Kesling and his artwork, please visit him online at www.johnpaulkesling.com and at this Instagram page @JohnPaulKesling.
Photos of Kesling’s exhibition Panic and Purpose at the Red Arrow gallery in Nashville, TN, on view February 23 - March 30, 2019. Instagram @TheRedArrowGallery.
