IronwoodInfo News Magazine

Reception Ushers In Hubbard Exhibit

Hancock - May 30, 2009

An opening night reception for Marquette artist John Hubbard served as the backdrop for his latest exhibit. Many art admirers and former students traveled great distances in order to partake in the reception.

The exhibit showcases thirty-four of John's oil paintings. The subjects of these paintings can be found right here in the western Upper Peninsula. John found that he needn't travel too far from home to find the subject matter for these wonderful oil paintings. Hubbard takes thousands of photographs in the field. Then at his studio he envisions his future art work. Working "alla prima", from the Italian “at once,” Hubbard created each painting in one sitting.

According to the artist's press release he draws inspiration from well-known Canadian painters, The Group of Seven, and the California impressionists, John Hubbard’s recent series of landscape paintings, created during a recent sabbatical, express the rugged beauty and luminous light of the northern landscape. Closely cropped water patterns, treetops viewed from below, and the blue green light of the deep forest fill Hubbard’s canvases. John states that he is seeking to capture a fleeting quality of light that will bring authenticity to his landscape painting. John noted “My goal as a painter is not to duplicate the photo, but to bring to the viewer those aspects of the image that are significant and to make it look not like a photo, but a painting that was done with brushes, rags, fingers and paint,”

According to the artist's press release, Hubbard is also interested in conveying the inherent value and vulnerability of nature through his work. “The relation of man and nature has been explored by many artists, especially the Hudson River artists, but my concern is different in that I am fearful of man’s impact on the environment as we face global warming, and other events that may affect our world as we know it,” says Hubbard, adding that his future work will continue to explore these concerns.

A professor in the School of Art and Design at Northern University for nearly 40 years, Hubbard teaches drawing, painting, and printmaking. His work has been exhibited in numerous one-person and juried exhibits. Public commissions of his work include the Fredeen Art Project in Marquette and the Copper Country Mental Health Building in Houghton.

John Hubbard's Recent Work will be on display at the Finlandia University Gallery until July 17, 2009.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or by appointment. Please call 906-487-7500 for more information.

Above left is a self-portrait of the artist. On the right is a photo of John speaking to the patrons of the Gallery.

Click on Photos below to view a larger image