Beyond Words
Enamels and Paintings of John Killmaster
Exhibition runs May 2 - June 30
One decade as a budding artist and a seven decade art career and counting.
John Killmaster was undoubtedly blessed with an innate talent for visual expression. He is a master of painting techniques and a master and inventor of techniques in glass enamel on steel. John spent a decade of his early career, in the 1950s and early ‘60s as an illustrator of ads for the likes of General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and DuPont. His paintings for automobile ads were masterpieces of illustration. In 1964 he began his academic pursuit of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine art at Hope College then Cranbrook Academy, both in Michigan. In 1970, after receiving his master’s degree, he applied for and joined the staff of the art department at BSU where he guided budding artists for 27 years. In painting, John has mastered the techniques of realism, impressionism and abstract expressionism. His talent for color juxtaposition is exceptional, as can be seen in this exhibition. Underlying his innate talent and his mastery of technique can often be found a sense of poetry and sometimes whimsey, while some of his works hint at clairvoyance. The four large and emotionally charged enamel works, “The Flood, Cry Lost I of the Rain Forest, Storming Gods and As Birds Men are Snared in an Evil Age”, which are part of this exhibition and created years ago, are a premonition of what our world has come to. They speak to the over exploitation of earth resources, climate change and the societal chaos that we are experiencing today. We hope that if you know John and/or his art, that you appreciate this exhibition as a reminder of his exceptional talent. If this is your first introduction to his work, please enjoy a visual feast. And of course, make one of his works a part of your personal collection. Delia Dante Gallery hours: Tuesday-Wednesday from 10am - 3pm Thursday-Saturday from 10am - 6pm All gallery exhibitions are always free and open to the public |