Urban Paintings by Jonathan Howard - Lanning Gallery [Sedona Arizona]

"Illusions of Grandeur"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
57" x 41" wrap

Drawn to urban settings, painter Jonathan Howard creates canvases that compellingly draw from his Surrealist past, his existentialist core and his leanings toward an influence of the Ashcan school. In combination these elements form a wholly contemporary and unique style, one that is objectively presented, allowing the viewer to become part of discovering the meaning of the work.

"Cities, towns, and buildings are a telling extension [of ourselves], perhaps a portrait of humanity," Howard has said. "You can see the good, bad, hopes, dreams, nightmares and ambitions of mankind through examining our urban footprint on the planet."

It was, perhaps paradoxically, an isolated background that led the artist to his insightfully broad view. For Howard art became a solitary escape as his family moved often: Santa Fe introduced him to the wonders of art, from Native American works to traditional Impressionism and Contemporary art; in Hawaii he fell in love with the artistry of Japanese prints and Chinese paintings. In South Lake Tahoe an artist, taking an interest in him, regularly provided boxes of art magazines which Howard devoured; by reading the articles and studying the work a concrete idea of what it is to be an artist was formed.

With a poet mother who supported him completely Howard began his own path as an artist, receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Arizona State University. Shortly after graduating he completed a 400-square-foot mural in the Scottsdale [Arizona] Community College Library. The artist has consistently shown in solo and group exhibits since.

Howard mixes Realism with collaged elements and aspects of Abstract art; he also loves patterns and mixing different moments of time within his work. A palimpsest technique allows words, often in the form of collaged newsprint, to bleed through acrylic surfaces. This half-hidden print can unexpectedly date to the 1700s and hidden collaged burlap can, upon detection, explain a ruggedly rich surface. This technique is a natural outgrowth of the artist's interest in the layers within urban landscapes.

Howard's surfaces evoke the same story as his subjects, encapsulating the endless process of decay, destruction and rebuilding. It is the transient nature of the present that Howard so skillfully communicates. "My paintings come to me in dreams, day dreams or random flashes of insight," he reveals. "I don't concentrate on what a painting is about while working on it. I just work and let it tell me what it's about. I feel that my paintings are the tool my subconscious uses to speak to me, so I just let the dialogue happen and interpret near the end . . . I try to understand myself and the world through the creation of my work."

"A Day Like Any Other" - Bicycling in the City Painting by Jonathan Howard

"A Day Like Any Other"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
12" x 12" wrap

"The Little Comforts of a Busy Day" - City Scenes by Jonathan Howard

"The Little Comforts of a Busy Day"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
12" x 12" wrap

"Broken Night" - Urban Scenes by Jonathan Howard

"Broken Night"
Oil on Canvas Painting
12" x 9" wrap

Click on an image to see
a larger view of each piece.

"The Morning After" - City Scenes by Jonathan Howard

"The Morning After"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
24" x 18" wrap

"The Weight" - Urban Scene Artwork by Jonathan Howard

"The Weight"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
48" x 24"

"Open Market at Night" - Urban Art by Jonathan Howard

"Open Market at Night"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
12" x 9"

"The Uncertainty Is Always There" - Urban Paintings by Jonathan Howard

"The Uncertainty Is Always There"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
24" x 48" wrap

"The Standoff" - Cityscapes by Jonathan Howard

"The Standoff"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
12" x 12" wrap

"Preoccupation" - Urban City Scenes by Jonathan Howard

"Preoccupation"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
36" x 36"

"Hanging on a Curtain" - Urban Themed Paintings by Jonathan Howard

"Hanging on a Curtain"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
60" x 30"

Artist's prices beginning
at $750 up to $3,950.

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"Numbers" - City Dwellers by Jonathan Howard

"Numbers"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
24" x 48"

"A Sense of Loss and Letting Go" - Paintings by Jonathan Howard

"A Sense of Loss and Letting Go"
Mixed Media on Canvas Painting
36" x 60"
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