John Norwood | John Norwood, Artist

Arc Paintings

January 20, 2012 by John Norwood Leave a Comment

These are Arc Paintings done in the likes of Abstract Expressionism, but on a grand scale. They each are done in a series of 1 meter by 1 meter panels and when combined, each Arc Painting measures 10 meters by 2 meters. I created these in the 1960s and 70s and have 6 of them in my College Point, NY studio.

If you want to see these Arc Paintings please contact me on this website or call me at 347 884-0388.

Below is the Video Transcript.

I am John Norwood. I am trying to be an artist. This is an Arc Painting. I call it Falling Balls. And it reminds me of the moon. I think it looks to me like a cold moonscape. It goes up and down in space with the segments of arcs in metric dimensions: a millimeter up to a kilometer. It’s concerned with arcs of metric circles. The left panel has a one meter diameter circle and then it goes down to 10 centimeters, 1 centimeter and 1 millimeter. Then it goes up to 10 meters, 100 meters, and 1,000 meters, the arcs going through this painting. These paintings were done 40 some years ago in New Jersey where I had an art studio. And the junk on it is stuff left from architectural models, stuff from doing the renovation on this building. It’s all very autobiographical, like a baby barricade, a carousel from a slide camera, and various other cut-off wood from doing the renovation.

If you want to see these Arc Paintings please contact me on this website or call me at 347 884-0388.

I hope you enjoy the video.. Thank You.

Coffee Cup Sculpture Art Video

January 3, 2012 by John Norwood 2 Comments

There’s a line from T.S. Eliot, “I’ve measured out my life in coffee spoons.”

The first thing I do in the morning at four o’clock is make myself a cup of coffee. That usually lasts me a half hour and then I go make another one. I’ve been saving coffee cups for 40 years. I have thousands of them. I have drunk every damn one except for 10 or 20 that other people have left. I have coffee cups made of foam and cardboard. They all used to be foam 30 – 40 years ago and then they had to change to cardboard. I keep collecting them, glueing them together and painting them.

If you want to see any of these Coffee Cup Sculptures you are very welcome to by contacting me online here or calling me at 347 884-0388.

I hope you enjoy the video. Thank You.

My Interview On NY1

November 7, 2011 by John Norwood Leave a Comment

Angela Chen, a very talented and charming reporter for NY1, interviewed me and my wife Ruby about my ever expanding art collection. The interview aired across New York City on Tuesday November 1. I talked about the fire in 2009 that destroyed half my artwork, some of which went back 60 years, working with garbage to create recycled art, and why I keep doing this after so many years. I have rebuilt my life and body of artwork since the fire but still look back on that day with sorrow and for inspiration.

This spring (2012) I am planning an event to celebrate my 75th birthday and the art that I’ve created throughout most of that period. I’d love to hear from you if you’d like an invitation to this event. Keep checking this site for new art and updates on my 2012 art show.

Never quit creating art.

The NY1 interview can be viewed at College Point Artist John Norwood Rebuilds After Fire Destroys Work.

Bicycle Gone Upside Down

July 15, 2011 by John Norwood Leave a Comment

I found this bike nearly a year ago and was not sure what to do with it since I have not ridden a bicycle for at least 30 + years. So, it dawned on me that I could flip it over and paint it silver and black. It also presents a foam medical box sculpture. It makes for an interesting piece to look at when people enter my College Point studio. BTW … I think the bike is a Schwinn.

Upside Down and Painted Bicycle