Artist Statement  of John Follin Melvin

September 2008

My life is nothing without freedom. When I was in the world of investment banking, I was known for my creative spirit and for not limiting my thinking to the narrow boundaries of financial analysis.  Sketching helped me create a mental image of how complex financial structures could be folded into provisions of the tax code. Now, I use this "what if" approach when developing composition, color and subject matter for a painting. 

My paintings generally depict scenes of people living in and enjoying San Francisco. I bring my own values to my work. My family is the most important part of my life so I am drawn to scenes of children and parents. I have twin grandsons so I use them  as subjects for a number of my works. The ocean and seashore has always been special to me so many of my works are of beach and water venues. I love the challenge and complexity of the human form and spend time drawing and painting figures. However, the most enjoyable feedback I get from this is the impact it has on all my works. Finally, I am very fond of brushwork and the movement of paint on a canvas - so much so that sometimes the figures or representational scene in my painting merely becomes a medium for laying down paint.

In the past few years, I have done a number of portraits but I particularly enjoy " gesture " portraits that focus on the unique movements of the subject rather than facial representation. To me, a painting should be interactive. The viewer should not be shown everything but just enough composition, color and subject so that the mind can enjoy a creative trip through the work.

I have been influenced by many artists. The French and American Impressionists, The German Expressionists, the Fauves and the Bay Area Figurative School. Other artists such as Chaim Soutine and Frank Auerbach have also been in my mind as I paint. And I cannot fail to mention the small untitled landscape ( Cows and Pasture) of Seldon Gile of the Society of Six that affects every landscape that I paint.