Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1950, John Domont holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of Art. He has traveled extensively and has lived in California, New Mexico, France, Germany, and Israel. The recipient of several artists’ awards and commissions, he currently lives and works in Indianapolis. His art has been shown in numerous exhibitions and in the collections of the Indiana State Museum, the National Bank of Indianapolis, and the Indiana Historical Society, all in Indianapolis; The Swope Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana; Eli Lilly and Company, Simon Enterprises; and the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California; as well as in many private collections.
“I began my career as a fine art photographer focused on the decisive moment and pursuing the magic of light. I looked for images that indicated a sense of universal wonderment and unity. In my late twenties, I worked exclusively for conservation groups photographing threatened habitats and endangered species around the world. I photographed so many different mammals in water habitats that water itself became a primary focus for my artistic endeavors. In the process of abstracting the qualities of water, as it transformed into its various aspects of light, color, movement, and energy, I began to experience a relationship with painting. By 1983 painting had become my primary means of artistic expression and landscape painting became the primary focus of my work. My paintings are an expression of inspirations from nature and my relationship to the landscape. I strive to create harmony among the three forms of light available to an artist: surface light, the light of nature, and the light of spirit. My art is about presence and place.
I work in the landscape of Indiana, my home. Our roads, pastures, fields, and forests are the essence of our landscape, the American mid-west. The Indiana countryside is both simple and nourishing. It is in the basics of our landscape that one can see and feel the beauty of the essential, the elements of land and sky, of nature and humanity coming together. Rather than portraying the realism of a country scene, I am in pursuit of the experiential expression. When one stands alone in a field with grain and sky, wind and color as companions, an experience of unity can occur.
I am interested in expressing the harmony of the seen and the unseen. This experience of unity, which brings with it a sense of awe, supports and guides my work. My paintings are an attempt to honor the beauty and magic of living in our time and place.”
In addition to landscapes, the exhibition features a selection from his series entitled Begging Bowl. Domont believes all humans are spiritual beggars on the path of self-awareness. Seemingly disparate, both his bodies of work exude feelings of placidity and wonder, while communicating presence.
John J Domont, A Retrospective: Place and Possibility, November 21, 2003-January 4, 2004
www.domontgallery.com
www.swope.org
Website
http://www.domontgallery.com
