Artist Spotlight Video: John Newsom and "Homecoming"
John Newsom's painting "Homecoming" painting is the 17th commissioned work in NBC Oklahoma's Artist Series. In this new video, he talks about the work, his relationship with NBC Chairman Ken Fergeson and the painting as part of the Oklahoma Contemporary mid-career retrospective of his work. 'John Newsom: Nature's Course' features 31 paintings by Newsom in Oklahoma City between March 24 and through Aug. 15, 2022.
More about John Newsom and ‘Homecoming’
A new painting by John Newsom is the latest in NBC Oklahoma’s Artist Series and features images that are familiar to Oklahomans. The oil-on-canvas painting is 84 inches tall by 60 inches wide.
“I wanted to create an iconic image using timeless motifs from the Oklahoma landscape,” Newsom said about his work. “The bison is a strong, yet contemplative animal from the plains. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is the state bird of Oklahoma, and the Indian Blanket is the state wildflower. Combined together these images become the perfect chorus. It is with great sincerity and reverence for the natural landscape of Oklahoma and its inhabitants, that this very meaningful and special painting has come into being.”
Newsom thrived in his Enid, Oklahoma, upbringing but always yearned to travel and explore the world as a painter. Homecoming represents a visual return to his experiences in Oklahoma. John currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and their two children.
After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University, he had his first New York exhibition in 1995, when he was only 25. Since that first show, his work has been exhibited in the United States, across Europe, and in Japan. His paintings are included in the permanent collections of numerous public institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI. Articles and reviews of his work have appeared in Artforum, Art in America, Flash Art, The New Yorker and The New York Times, among others.
At the Oklahoma Contemporary
John Newsom: Nature’s Course
NBC Oklahoma is proud to loan Homecoming to Oklahoma Contemporary for Newsom’s first solo museum exhibition. This mid-career retrospective features 31 paintings created over the last 20 years.
Oklahoma Contemporary, 11 NW 11, Oklahoma City
March 24 – August 15, 2022