John Sousa is a mixed-media artist whose long-term focus has centered on language, and the ways we perceive and construct meaning. His work combines an ongoing fascination with the formal qualities of painting and photography and is constantly pushing the bounds of the materials he uses. Through layered systems of imagery, texture, and visual association, he creates work that is intellectually engaging as well as visually compelling.
John lives and maintains a studio in Springboro, Ohio. He was a National Scholastic Art Scholar and earned a BFA from Bradley University in 1982. His work was featured in issues #167 and #149 of New American Paintings. He has exhibited in galleries and institutions across more than a dozen states, including The Painting Center in New York; Edison State Community College, Piqua, OH; Sinclair College, Dayton, OH; Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH; and Art Access Gallery, Columbus, OH. He has received two Montgomery County Arts Fellowships and was awarded an AIA Grant by Summerfair.
Mini Interview
What is the central theme or concept behind your current body of work?
This series began with a connection I noticed between art and ideas in quantum physics—particularly questions about the observer and the slippery nature of perception. That led me to think less about depicting the world and more about how the mind constructs the world we see.
How do you hope your work resonates with or impacts your viewers?
My work is as much about how our minds wander as what our eyes see. I hope the longer someone spends with a piece, the more they discover—and the more personal those discoveries become. I create the landscape; you take the journey.
Can you share a pivotal moment that has shaped your artistic journey?
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with photography and technology: I love what they can do, but a flat print has never been enough for me. I want the physical presence, texture, and sensuality of painting, so I’ve spent much of my adult life figuring out how to make photography and painting play nicely together.
What advice would you offer to emerging artists navigating today’s art world?
Run! Unless, of course, you love making art enough to keep going when nobody is applauding. Outside validation is fleeting; the real reward is in the studio, having the freedom—and stubbornness—to pursue the things that genuinely fascinate you.
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you would like to share with our readers?
After a year that included two solo exhibitions and a two-person show, I’m happily back in the studio making the next round of work. At the moment, the project is simply to keep pushing the series somewhere I haven’t been before—which is usually where the mischief starts.
