I don't claim to know what makes art "art," much less what makes good art "good." But, to steal an expression from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, I know it when I see it. John Lee is an aspiring artist living in Pennsylvania who paints under the moniker of Clohnart. John is one of January's oldest friends, and one of my newest, and this coming week his work will appear at Gallery 831 in the Brewery District.

Last summer, John and his family visited us over the Fourth of July weekend and brought along a couple of his paintings to share. The arrangement was that we could put them on display in our home and make them available for sale to anyone who visits us who is interested. We've had these two pieces on display in our home since then and, if I'm being honest, I hope for selfish reasons that nobody ever is interested. This first piece, titled Twice Finished, was January's pick and sits on the bar in our dining room, right next to where I work most days. I'm not going to wax poetic about the brushstrokes or the technique used, but all I can say about it is that I have enjoyed its presense in my work space for the past eight months.

This was my pick, titled Double Cycolps #2. If I'm being honest, the main reason that I picked it was because it was his most recent work among the offerings he brought that day, but time has convinced me that I made the right choice. It sits on our mantle, between our cardboard buffalo, Beatrix, and our two ceramic owls, Schmandy and Lucille. I think the four of them really go together well.

John Lee will be displaying more of his work this coming week at Gallery 831, and the opening reception will take place this coming Saturday evening from 7-10pm. I'll be there, and I hope to see some of you as well. January and I will be bringing Lucy, so I'm sure it will be very family friendly if you want to bring any of your little ones as well. 

If you want to learn more about his work in the meantime, you can check out his web site at http://clohnart.com. He also posts some of his latest work to Twitter at @clohnart as well as on his Instagram account of the same name.

Hope to see you this Saturday! 

Follow the Brush - Featuring the work of John Lee (Clohnart) and Rachel McFarlane
Gallery 831: 831 S. Front Street, Columbus, OH 43206 
April 27 - May 4, 2012

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 28, 7 - 10pm