From January 13–31, 2014, the exhibition Drawing on History: New Work by John Hancock will be on view at Mary Baldwin University’s Hunt Gallery. A resident of Waynesboro, Hancock has lived in Virginia since 2000 when he moved here from North Carolina to teach in the art department at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. In 2009 he retired from full-time teaching in order to devote more time to his art.
Hancock received his BFA in art from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA, and later completed an MFA in painting at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. He has exhibited his work at a variety of venues, regionally and nationally. Most recently he was part of the group exhibition, The Natural World: A Postmodern Perspective, at Williams Gallery of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Hancock works in a wide variety of methods including painting, printmaking, and book arts. He has also experimented with environmental installation and conceptual/performance pieces. The content of his work — mixed media drawings and aqueous paintings — derives from a contemplative exploration of nature.
“I make image-objects. The work for this exhibition started, as most of my work does, with direct observation,” Hancock said. “Through editing, abutment, and overlays … organic and geometric passages interrupt realism with abstraction. In this way, these works on Mylar disrupt most of the conventions of landscape, still life, and portraiture.”
A reception will be held for the artist from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on January 13 in Hunt Gallery. The public is invited to attend.
Hunt Gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary work in all media by regionally and nationally recognized artists. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the college’s academic year. Hunt Gallery’s schedule for the 2013–2014 academic year can be found online.