Art & Life with John Folsom

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Folsom.

John, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in 1967 and raised in the country of western Kentucky near Paducah. My parents were wildly creative and our home was at different times a puppet workshop, a recording studio and a music studio. My mother was the director of children’s story-hour at the Public Library and produced many puppets plays during the 1970’s. My father was a recording studio enthusiast and sometimes set designer so along with my siblings we all worked to bring stories to life through the magic of puppeteering. One of the stages had an amazing canvas backdrop on a roll with about 7 landscapes so you could switch seasons quickly. I was fascinated by the idea of creating space within a frame onto which narrative structures played out This “can-do” attitude with respect to production was to leave an indelible impression when I began to gravitate to photography.

Our house was decorated with many paintings gifted from friends or from my grandmother who was a Sunday painter. Someone in the art department at Murray State University painted a large-scale copy of Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist” and it ended up in our living room. In 1975 my parents connected with a fly-by-night art dealer who sold them a fantastic Hudson River School painting. Of course, in later years after some research this painting turned out not to be so authentic but for some reason that made it more interesting to me. All of these influences informed my work in myriad ways.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
In 1986 I took a basic photography course as a college elective. I immediately fell in love with the magic of the darkroom and began thinking about ways to push the medium beyond its conventional norms. I experimented in the darkroom with chemistry and exposure to encourage more painterly effects. This evolved into hand applied techniques with wet media establishing a remove from standard photographic practices.

After school I moved to Nashville, TN and began exhibiting my work in small venues in the 1990’s. When an exhibition at a local gallery fell through I was invited to show the work at Cheekwood Fine Arts Museum. This was a huge step in the development of my career and propelled me to think more seriously about the direction of my work. I moved to Atlanta in 1999 because the art world here seemed more dynamic. There are certainly more opportunities to show work and the market is incredibly vibrant.

The central theme of my work at present is landscape and in particular the coastal landscapes of the south. This includes all wetlands, swamps and bayous. I am drawn to the primitive nature of these places and am currently investigating the impact sea level rise is having on the coast of Louisiana.

Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
There are incredible opportunities to show your work these days particularly for anyone starting out. All manner of digital platforms and social networking can readily connect an artist with an audience. I still think the gallery is a necessary advocate for the work and most collectors want that validation. In some ways it is definitely easier but there still needs to be stronger support for women and persons of color. It’s certainly better than it was 20 years ago but there’s always room for improvement in this area. I would say the best thing people can do to support an artist is to visit galleries and institutions in person. We are all so pacified by our devices that we are happy to look at art all day long on Instagram but there’s no replacement for experiencing a work of art in real life.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am represented by Hathaway Contemporary here in the city of Atlanta where I will have a show opening on September 8th. My work can also be viewed in New Orleans, Charlotte, NC, and Calgary, Canada.

Contact Info:

• Website: johnfolsomonline.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_folsom/

Image Credit:
Jerry Siegel, Elizabeth Guy

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