Vermont Public Radio / Reflections on the Work of John Cleaveland by Shanta Lee Gander
Reflection: Not separate from, but a part of ... the world of John Cleaveland’s landscapes
by Shanta Lee Gander for Vermont Public Radio
In this Vermont Public Radio segment, independent producer/artist/writer Shanda Lee Gander discusses Athens, GA-based artist John Cleaveland’s work, the evolution of his process, and why he lives part of each year in Enosburg Falls, Vermont, where he has been working on a painting of the Missisquoi River in the lobby of the Quincy Hotel of Enosburg Falls.
John Cleaveland at work on his painting of the Missisquoi River, in the lobby of the Quincy Hotel.
Excerpts from the full interview:
“Critical to what I’m doing is, I want to change how people see the world around them. Because people don’t see nature, they go through it. But they don’t see it. Each painting’s a new template for somebody. And if I can get that template into their head, they’ve got a new landmark, and then they see it, and they stop. And their brain stops going past it. And they can take it in.”
For John, the art or his painting is ”...when you, when I back away from it, it’s like, it’s painted itself. It has its own sound. It’s communicating all on its own, so when I back up from it, I almost feel like laughing, because I’m so happy.”
To read Shanta’s full interview with John Cleaveland on Vermont Public Radio’s website, click here.
Enosburg Falls, Vermont is located just south of the Canada border and is under two hours drive from Montreal. To visit The Quincy Hotel of Enosburg Falls, click here.