About the Artist
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John Kessler works with oil paints usually depicting some aspect of life in rural New England. His paintings are representational in nature, but with a bit of impressionistic style. The subject matter is most likely a landscape, but John also paints the occasional still life or some fun item that piques his interest. He creates much of his artwork in the studio, but also does plein air painting on occasion.
John took up painting as a serious endeavor late in life. After retiring from a successful engineering career, John focused his attention on oil painting, an interest he has had throughout his life. At a young age, he was exposed to art via his father who painted in his spare time with an interest in Impressionism. John is essentially self-taught. He has taken classes at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester and adds to his experience by taking workshops and painting with other artists. |
John has lived much of his life in southern New Hampshire but has also spent several years in the Upper Valley. His experience has also been broadened by travel both at home and abroad. His paintings are reflective of his interest in such outdoor activities as hiking, biking, and photography. They often depict the local farms, woods, wetlands and coastal environment throughout the different seasons of the year. John is always on the lookout for that special view that can be turned into a painting, hopefully recreating the mood and feeling of the moment.
John feels extremely fortunate to have the time, resources and family support to pursue his interest in art. He is member of the Newburyport, Greater Haverhill, and Kittery Art Associations and has been juried into the New Hampshire Art Association. John's paintings can be seen at the N. W. Barrett Gallery in Portsmouth, NH, and the Salt and Sand Gallery in Kennebunkport, Maine. You can follow John on his Instagram account @jbkesslerart.
2024 Events:
-Artist Weekend at the Fells, John Hay Estate at the Fells, Newbury, NH, July 20-21
-Perkin's Cove Plein Air Event, Ogunquit, Maine, September 8
-"Maritime Maine", spotlight artist at the Salt and Sand Gallery, Kennebunkport, Maine, August-September.
-"En Plein Air", N. W. Barrett Gallery, Portsmouth, NH, October-November, Reception November 17
-"Wood and Water: A Mixed Media Exhibition and Sale", Lowell's Boat Shop, Amesbury, MA, Dec 7 thru Dec 13
Artist statement:
The world around us is interesting and beautiful. As an artist I hope to point out some of those special instances that occur in our everyday lives. Maybe we don’t notice that beauty due to our busy lives, going to work, taking care of the kids, running errands, or maybe we were just looking the other way. By creating my paintings, I hope to provide a second chance to see what might have been missed the first time around.
Exhibits
2024-N.W.Barrett Gallery, Portsmouth, "En Plein Air"
2024-Kittery Art Association, "Enchanted Spaces"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, Fall Juried Exhibit
2024-Twiggs Gallery, Boscawen, "Wide Open Spaces - En Plein Air"
2024-Salt and Sand Gallery, Kennebunkport, "Maritime Maine"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, "Scenes of Newburyport"
2024-Windham Nesmith Gallery, solo exhibit
2024-Kittery Art Association, "Travels and Trails"
2024-Hampstead Public Library, Solo Exhibit
2024- Kittery Art Association, "Extraordinary Earth"
2024- Newburyport Art Association, "We Share One Sky"
2024- Newburyport Art Association, "Colors of March"
2024- Kittery Art Association "Start Fresh"
2024- Newburyport Art Association Winter Juried Exhibit
2023- Newburyport Art Association Holiday Show
2023- Kittery Art Association "Holiday Show"
2023- Lowell's Boat Shop Open House and Art Show
2023- Newburyport Fall Juried Exhibit
2023- NW Barrett Plein Air Exhibit, Portsmouth, NH
2023- Newburyport Annual Auction contributor
2023- Newburyport Art Association, "The Outsiders" (plein air exhibit)
2023- Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "At the Coast" spotlight wall solo exhibit
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Reflections"
2023- Dover Art Center and NHAA, "Creme de la Creme"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Summer Sizzle"
2023- Dover Art Center, "Every Little Drop", solo show
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Sea Breezes"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Art in Bloom"
2023-Greater Haverhill Art Association, annual exhibit (First Place Award)
2023-Windham Nesmith Gallery, Solo Exhibit
2023-Kittery Art Association, "Awakening"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, solo exhibit "By Land and By Sea"
2022-Loomis Gallery, "Holiday Show"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "Member's Fall Juried Show"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2022-Dover Art Center, "Creme de la Creme"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Colors of Autumn"
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "Beautiful"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "Glass Perspectives"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "On a Grand Scale"
2022-Jaffrey Civic Center, Annual Members Show
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "The Wild Bunch"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Coastal View"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Melt"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "A Road Less Travelled"
2022-Windham Nesmith Gallery, June Exhibit
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Bienvenue"
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "Believe"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "NAA 25th Annual Regional Juried Show"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, Body of Work: "Close to Home"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Spring Fever"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Rituals", Annual Omer T. Lassonde Open Juried Exhibit
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Shadows"
2022-Jaffrey Civic Center Annual Exhibit
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Awakening"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Strokes of Color"
2021-Greater Salem Art Association, Holiday Show (First Place, Oils)
2021-Newburyport Art Association, "Members' Open Holiday Show"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Portals", Annual Dunfey Open Juried Exhibition
2021-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2021-Newburyport Art Association, "NAA Members' Fall Juried Show" (award winner)
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Light and Dark"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Framed in Black"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Circle of Life"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Artist's Best"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Colors of Summer"
2021-Rockport Art Association, "Grassroots" juried show, (award winner)
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Solstice", Spotlight Wall
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, Body of Work : "Working the Land - Rural New Hampshire"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "On the Bright Side"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Resilience"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Perfect Pairings"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "New Member Show"
2020-Jaffrey Civic Center, "2020 Fall Show"
2020-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2020-Kittery Art Association, "Water, Water, Everywhere"
2019- Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
John feels extremely fortunate to have the time, resources and family support to pursue his interest in art. He is member of the Newburyport, Greater Haverhill, and Kittery Art Associations and has been juried into the New Hampshire Art Association. John's paintings can be seen at the N. W. Barrett Gallery in Portsmouth, NH, and the Salt and Sand Gallery in Kennebunkport, Maine. You can follow John on his Instagram account @jbkesslerart.
2024 Events:
-Artist Weekend at the Fells, John Hay Estate at the Fells, Newbury, NH, July 20-21
-Perkin's Cove Plein Air Event, Ogunquit, Maine, September 8
-"Maritime Maine", spotlight artist at the Salt and Sand Gallery, Kennebunkport, Maine, August-September.
-"En Plein Air", N. W. Barrett Gallery, Portsmouth, NH, October-November, Reception November 17
-"Wood and Water: A Mixed Media Exhibition and Sale", Lowell's Boat Shop, Amesbury, MA, Dec 7 thru Dec 13
Artist statement:
The world around us is interesting and beautiful. As an artist I hope to point out some of those special instances that occur in our everyday lives. Maybe we don’t notice that beauty due to our busy lives, going to work, taking care of the kids, running errands, or maybe we were just looking the other way. By creating my paintings, I hope to provide a second chance to see what might have been missed the first time around.
Exhibits
2024-N.W.Barrett Gallery, Portsmouth, "En Plein Air"
2024-Kittery Art Association, "Enchanted Spaces"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, Fall Juried Exhibit
2024-Twiggs Gallery, Boscawen, "Wide Open Spaces - En Plein Air"
2024-Salt and Sand Gallery, Kennebunkport, "Maritime Maine"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2024-Newburyport Art Association, "Scenes of Newburyport"
2024-Windham Nesmith Gallery, solo exhibit
2024-Kittery Art Association, "Travels and Trails"
2024-Hampstead Public Library, Solo Exhibit
2024- Kittery Art Association, "Extraordinary Earth"
2024- Newburyport Art Association, "We Share One Sky"
2024- Newburyport Art Association, "Colors of March"
2024- Kittery Art Association "Start Fresh"
2024- Newburyport Art Association Winter Juried Exhibit
2023- Newburyport Art Association Holiday Show
2023- Kittery Art Association "Holiday Show"
2023- Lowell's Boat Shop Open House and Art Show
2023- Newburyport Fall Juried Exhibit
2023- NW Barrett Plein Air Exhibit, Portsmouth, NH
2023- Newburyport Annual Auction contributor
2023- Newburyport Art Association, "The Outsiders" (plein air exhibit)
2023- Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "At the Coast" spotlight wall solo exhibit
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Reflections"
2023- Dover Art Center and NHAA, "Creme de la Creme"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Summer Sizzle"
2023- Dover Art Center, "Every Little Drop", solo show
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Sea Breezes"
2023- Kittery Art Association, "Art in Bloom"
2023-Greater Haverhill Art Association, annual exhibit (First Place Award)
2023-Windham Nesmith Gallery, Solo Exhibit
2023-Kittery Art Association, "Awakening"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, solo exhibit "By Land and By Sea"
2022-Loomis Gallery, "Holiday Show"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "Member's Fall Juried Show"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2022-Dover Art Center, "Creme de la Creme"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Colors of Autumn"
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "Beautiful"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "Glass Perspectives"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "On a Grand Scale"
2022-Jaffrey Civic Center, Annual Members Show
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "The Wild Bunch"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Coastal View"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Melt"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "A Road Less Travelled"
2022-Windham Nesmith Gallery, June Exhibit
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Bienvenue"
2022-Loomis Gallery/Ogunquit Playhouse, "Believe"
2022-Newburyport Art Association, "NAA 25th Annual Regional Juried Show"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, Body of Work: "Close to Home"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Spring Fever"
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Rituals", Annual Omer T. Lassonde Open Juried Exhibit
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Shadows"
2022-Jaffrey Civic Center Annual Exhibit
2022-New Hampshire Art Association, "Awakening"
2022-Kittery Art Association, "Strokes of Color"
2021-Greater Salem Art Association, Holiday Show (First Place, Oils)
2021-Newburyport Art Association, "Members' Open Holiday Show"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Portals", Annual Dunfey Open Juried Exhibition
2021-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2021-Newburyport Art Association, "NAA Members' Fall Juried Show" (award winner)
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Light and Dark"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Framed in Black"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Circle of Life"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Artist's Best"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Colors of Summer"
2021-Rockport Art Association, "Grassroots" juried show, (award winner)
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Solstice", Spotlight Wall
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, Body of Work : "Working the Land - Rural New Hampshire"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "On the Bright Side"
2021-Kittery Art Association, "Resilience"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "Perfect Pairings"
2021-New Hampshire Art Association, "New Member Show"
2020-Jaffrey Civic Center, "2020 Fall Show"
2020-Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"
2020-Kittery Art Association, "Water, Water, Everywhere"
2019- Kittery Art Association, "En Plein Air"